And The Mockingbirds Sing
by scoutfinches
Summary: Years have passed since the events of the novel. And Dill has a big question to ask. After the answer, many surprises are to come... (A Scout/Dill fanfic)
1. Chapter 1

_It had been eleven years since the major events of my childhood._ The Tom Robinson trial, and my many encounters with Boo Radley. Well, after meeting him, he was never seen from my eyes again. We never really spoke, maybe he was too scared to come out once more. Maybe he finally moved out to brighter horizons. Well, I will never know the answer to that. Now, and in the future. To think of it is a futile cause.

Things went back to normal for the entire county of Maycomb. Tom's trial was the talk of the whole state for maybe another week afterwards, but it went out like a candle in the wind once other issues arose. The only times either Jem or I heard of it again was from Cal, which was seldom. Every once in a while, on holidays usually, the members of First Purchase came to give us gifts. Every year on Christmas, fruitcakes and all kinds of sweets and shinny would be lined across our front porch. Sometimes, depending on the years, they would be dusted with a small sprinkling of snow.

It was something Atticus first objected, but when they started protesting by being more and more giving, he dropped the subject all together. "Well, Scout, they might as well keep giving. Generosity is rare in this county. I am very thankful..." He told me this that very day, as Easter came along during my fourth year of school. Afterwards, he buried his face into The Montgomery Advertiser. Even now, he has at least twenty bottles of whiskey in the pantry at a times which he seldom touches, let alone drinks himself. He just gives it to Uncle Jack and Aunt Alexandra.

Jem is now twenty-four, and has a loving spouse. Her name is Harper, and she's not even from Alabama. She lived in a sleepy Indiana town; she came to Alabama to see some relatives when she stumbled upon him. Things escalated from there. After seeing him in town with Dill and I a few times, she finally approached him. He was my age then, and Dill was sixteen. Neither of us really noticed or remembered anything she said the first time we spoke to her. I didn't think of it until he spoke to Atticus and said he met a girl. Then when she ran back to Indiana and wrote letters to us. Everyday after school, the star quarterback of Maycomb High would sit next to the mailbox and wait for the mailman to come by.

When she came back the next summer, he abandoned Dill and I for her. He spent his whole summer with her, whilst I spent mine with Dill. In the end, by Christmas, he asked her to marry him. It was a proposal so moving, even Atticus sobbed. I remember that night, after Atticus and I drove home, he sat with me in my room and started to speak to me. "Scout, do you realize how old I am?" By then, a few years ago, he was in his late fifties. Sadly, even I couldn't deny this. "Yes, Atticus. I do." This was before he started crying, obviously. "I'm almost fully gray now.." He chuckled. "I don't know how much longer I'll be doing what I am... Working in the law, trying to help people like Tom.."

Sometimes, he would mention Tom. Because he decided that if he ever had to, he would take on a case like his again. At that point and still his chance hasn't arisen yet. "You'll be fine. And listen, you're the wisest, kindest man in this town. No matter how old you'll be. Even if you're old and cranky like Mrs. Dubose was. You're my father, and I'll always be there for you." He smiled, but then started to sob. He only uttered three more words to me."Jem's leaving us!"

We sat together that night in complete silence. Jem didn't come home until late. Even then, Atticus and I were still together, asleep on my bed. Like we hadn't since I was a small child.

When Jem got married, the whole scenario played out again almost coincidentally. Atticus and I went to our first night at home without him. I went to bed alone, but heard him cry. Cal left after the ceremony and went straight home, so I was the only one to comfort him. I told him what I had before, along with a new idea I did not come across before. "Harper's a Finch now, just like you and I. We did lose Jem to her, yes, but we gained family in return. Atticus, don't cry anymore. Please don't cry."

All of these things happened when I was sixteen. Despite my age, I had no intent to leave Atticus and Calpurnia behind. They were too dear to me, as they were once to Jem.

Finally, I have only one story to tell you about; Dill. My relationship with Dill stayed the same throughout the years. Every year as Aunt Alexandra told me more and more to wear a dress, Dill told me more and more to be happy with who I was. "Your auntie don't know a pretty girl when she sees one!" Neither did the school faculty, as I was personally told to stop wearing pants to school. Due to the war going on, I did just that. I had better things to worry about, I had much more on my hands. However, in the summer, britches, slacks, and overalls were the only things I wore. Heck, in Jem's wedding, as the bridesmaid, Harper let me wear my dressiest pair of overalls!

A a few summers ago, when Dill came to Maycomb, he got a job. We still spoke as we did, but he was working hard downtown. Saving money for who knows what. He'd come back to have dinner with Atticus, Cal, and I and talk about the nickels he earned at work that day. He was acting peculiar, but I only responded with smiles and laughs. Later on that summer, a few weeks before he was ready to leave, he said something completely unexpected. Of course, at the same time, we all saw it coming. "Scout... I gotta tell ya' something." "What is it, Dill?" His white hair was a ruffled mess, with cowlicks sticking up here and there. "I was wonderin'..." "Wondering what?" I held my hands together, intertwining my fingers and scrappy nails into a clump.

"I was wonderin' if you wanted to be my girlfriend?" He was hesitant and quiet. He had no idea what I'd say back. A smile crept up my face. I remembered when he was my "fiancé" when we were little, and how he said he'd marry me as soon as he had the money. Our child's play reduced as we grew older, but we still harbored feelings for each other, well, I did anyway. "Dill... I..." "Scout... What?" "Yes, I'd love to date you." I kissed his cheek afterwards and held his hand, which was clutching his knee. "Dill, do you want to get some ice cream?" His cheeks were bright red, and he was unashamed of the grin on his face. "If Mr. Finch don't care... Sure. I'll use my nickels. You don't have to pay. I got this."

We got our ice creams that night and shared our first teenage kiss under the sign on the side of the building, the swaying strawberry ice cream cone above us did not stop for that moment. As his lips touched mine, I heard the rusty chains click back and forth still.

That night, also, was a tough one. Atticus and I had a long, hard talk about my new love with Dill. He was starting to tear up again, about losing another child, his only child left. "Atticus, I'm not leaving you any time soon. I'm gonna be here with you and Cal. I'm gonna look after all of you. With Dill too." Atticus patted my shoulder. "Thank you, Scout. Just remember you'll always be my baby... Remember that..." Even my efforts couldn't calm him. I was the one who started his misery. Both of us went through the night without a minute of sleep. He was reading, thinking, and every once in a while, he would cry a little. I was lying in bed, worrying about him  
>The next summer, I was eighteen years old. Any day now, Dill should come back from Meridian. I have written him many letters, letters upon letters. Just like Jem and Harper, we exchanged plenty of letters over the course of the year. Dill updated me on many things. Like wanting to go to college in Montgomery to be a lawyer like Atticus. I had not yet decided on my career yet, I had only just graduated high school by the time he arrived back to Maycomb. He told me how he wanted to make sure he'd save his pennies for that venture in his life.<p>

He told me about how his mother was still lonesome, as she had been. She was proud of him, he said. She hoped to finally have another girl in the Harris family. I told him about how I was tutoring Walter Cunningham. Although he was my age, he was behind in his studies by a few years. He was faltering in terms of grades. History and math, to be exact. I was not as good as most of the kids in my grade, but good enough to help him back on his feet. On the last day of school, Walter told me this: "Jean Louise, I hope one day you 'an be a teacher!"

It was truly heartfelt, and I never forgot it. When I graduated, he sat with Atticus as he watched me receive my diploma. "I 'ope my kids learn from you, Jean Louise!" I also told Dill I loved him and missed him; he said the same to me. No other boy caught my eye, as Aunt Alexandra told me they would when we met at Finch's Landing for Christmas that year. She gave me a dress that year and told me that since I was a senior that year, I better dress like one. Per usual, Francis laughed at the comment. He was seventeen and still coming to our Christmas dinners with his Grandmother. How pathetic.

Well, the point is that we sent billions of letters. All of them I kept in a shoebox next to the things Boo Radley gave us a decade before, in another shoebox. "Scout, I think we beat the Jarper record!" A little joke of ours was the names we gave couples around town. Jarper was the name for Jem and Harper. Just like about the old woman who moved in Mrs. Dubose's house. After years of weathering, the place got a makeover and was taken in by ironically, Harper's grandmother. She was old and weary like Mrs. Dubose. She almost replaced Dubose, and even called me ugly as I walked past her house. "At least my Harper's got some sense!"

She had a strange midwestern accent; she would always compare Maycomb to Harper's hometown, Leo, Indiana. "In Leo, we did not do that!" "In Leo, we learned quite a bit more than that!" "In Leo, women actually wore dresses!" Like always, whenever Dill and I passed her yard, we would get scolded by some way by her. If it went too far, Atticus would come and solve the problem. "I've only met one lady as beautiful as you, Mrs. Roth, and she barely takes the cake!" He treated her like a queen and bowed down to her. He'd bring her that shinny he didn't need if she was having a bad day.

And even with all of this she'd say, "Men married young in Leo!" Despite this, he was kind to her. He was kind to everyone. If they insulted him to his face, as Mrs. Roth had that day, he would barely say a word. It was like that day a decade before after the trial, when Bob Ewell decided to spit in his face. He then jibed at my father, in which he replied with only a few words. To Jem and I, he told us that he didn't like that Mr. Ewell chewed tobacco. That was that and it was over. Never again did he insult our father, but he did hurt us. And died as a result, as he was stabbed with his own knife. The Ewell children ended up going missing days after the death. Same with Mayella. The property they kept for three generations now laid abandoned. As always, it was still behind the dump on the south side of town.

On the morning of Dill's arrival, I woke up shortly after the full sunrise. I could feel the tangles in my short hair popping up in angles on my face and above my head. I could barely stand the taste of my own breath anymore. The day was bright and sunny out the window, as Dill's arrival days always had been. I trudged myself out of bed and to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair until I saw it fit. I then dragged my feet back to my room again and looked at my assortment of clothes.

It was rumored I was the only girl in the state of Alabama that wore both dresses and overalls. That day, I assumed I would wear the latter, until I heard Calpurnia's footsteps rushing up the stairway. "Scout!" She only called me by my name. "Dill's comin' in a hour! Get dressed!" She opened my door and saw me in front of the closet. "I was about to do that, actually." I was grabbing a pair of khaki colored overalls out of the closet. "No, sweetheart! Put on a dress! Today's a special day, your man's comin'! "He doesn't care if I wear these, Cal. You're going a little bonkers. I'll disagree with you on Christmas, alright?" "No, Jean Louise. I'm not foolin'. Put on that pale blue dress. It's gonna be cold, so I'll grab you your blazer."

"You're sounding like my Auntie. It's his first day back. Let him see me in a pair of overalls." Calpurnia was looking only more frustrated. "Baby, he's gotta new camera. He got it from Miss Rachel this Christmas. He said it's for a portrait of his. Not because he's against ya' bein' cute in those overalls like ya' are." I sighed. "I'll do it for you, Cal. I'm hope you're not lyin'. It's like when you told me the Jews got saved. I feel like you're lyin'." "No, I'm only tellin' you the truth." I switched from my nightgown to my dress, and put on my slip. I struggled like I had every time I wore that dress to tie the sash behind my back. "Can I help you with that, Miss Finch?" "Yes'm! Thank you."

I was surprised Cal didn't laugh when I told her I needed help with my sash. Deep down, I still yearned being a child again. And being able to ask those questions without shame. Of course, Atticus really didn't care, but Aunt Alexandra always threw fits when she saw me asking Cal for help with such things. Maybe that's because she disliked Cal. But, that's none of my business, really. She out her hands in my shoulders. "There you go, baby. You look beautiful. He's downstairs waitin' for ya' right now." I smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Cal." "The pleasure is mine, most certainly." Then, I ran down the flight of stairs, desperate to leap into Dill's arms again.

For nine solid months, I hadn't heard him speak or anything. I was excited to catch up and start doing things as a couple again. I saw him sitting on our couch and immediately tackled him, causing him to fall over on the ground. "Dill!" I the actually noticed we were on the ground, as the force of my tackle was too much for him. "Dill... Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He laughed it off. "I really missed you, Scout." He stared at my face for a few seconds, but felt Atticus's glare. He knew exactly what Dill was going to do, and was definitely not wanting to witness it. I stood back up and helped him off the ground. "I missed you too." He embraced me, and held me tightly in front of my father. We stood there for a few minutes, taking in the little things we had missed for so long. "Thank you for talking with me, Mr. Finch." He had his hand on the back of my head; my face was buried in his shoulder.

Dill had grown quite tall over the years, and was even towering above Jem. "You're welcome, Dill. And can I say goodbye to my daughter before you leave?" "Oh! Sorry! Of course, sir!" We broke up our long, lingering hug at the demand of Atticus. I walked over to him and said, "We'll be back before sunset. I promise." Like I planned to do with Dill earlier, I kissed my father's cheek. "I love you." Atticus smiled at me, "Scout, I love you too." His eyes were watering, like they barely ever had. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye, baby. Have a good day."

"I will! Goodbye, Atticus!" Dill and I walked hand in hand out the door. "Do you mind going on a bit of a walk?" "No, but what for?" The citizens I of Maycomb never went on a walk without reason. They would make silly jokes about it, most likely. "I dunno. To talk. And maybe we'll see Jarper around today." "Sure. And you know, Jem's annoyed with the name calling " I laughed, as we passed the home of Miss Maudie Atkinson. From the aroma surrounding her house, it smelled like she was making a almondine cake. "Yeah. I know. But Mister Jem's the one who helped me come up with it." It was true. The names were a big thing with the Maycomb kids during his time in school. So, he asked Dill for one. He wasn't the type to come up with it anymore. He was only trying to be in the loop.

And now, he's still fed up.

"You're right. I admit it. Fair and square." I held his hand, and we made a turn past the post office. What Maycomb did not gain in size, it did gain in beauty. The jail and post office were restored to their former glory, however, the courthouse still reminded crumbling, in slightly more severe shambles. "Speaking of the devil!" Only a few blocks away stood Jem and Harper, by their downtown apartment, right next to the jail. They didn't think much of their safety there, even with the latest residents of the town jail. And sadly, nobody there was getting a trial. Atticus had barely any work that summer.

"Jem!" I waved to him, but he did not hear me. He and Harper were in deep conversation. In the end, we only walked past them. I jokingly poked him as I was behind him, causing him to flinch. "Scout! What are you doing here?" "Well... Dill and I are taking a walk. I tried to wave to you, but you didn't hear me." "Oh.. I'm so sorry! I was just discussing something with Harper. I'll tell you when we come to your house tonight." "Why not now?" "Scout! You're already going to find out quite a bit today, I'd rather wait. Dill, I'm glad you're putting those pennies to good use." He pointed to his friend, which cause him to flush a slight bit in anger.

"Jem, we can't talk about the pennies. You better not tell 'er." "I know, I know. If Scout would've told Harper all those years ago I would've given her hell. It's understood. Well, I'll let you go on your walk. I'll see you later at the house." "Alright. Later, Jem." Dill held my hand again; I wondered about the pennies. Did he save enough money for law school? What was he saving for anyway I wondered. A Chevrolet? A house? I tried not to acknowledge what I was thinking. It was only trivial, because Dill would surely tell me later.

"Dill.. Do you know what's going on with Jem?" "Nome. There's only a few possibilities. If you want, I can tell you my theory." "Sure." "Atticus will finally be as old as he looks." "Huh?" "He's probably gonna be a grandpa. There ain't much more Jem can accomplish anymore. He's already in school to be a doctor. He's got nothin' left to do other than that already." "Jem could'a changed his mind."' "Nome. He's very set on that, and you should see it especially." "I'm not going to think it through until we see him tonight. Alright?" "Sounds like a deal." If we weren't already holding hands, we would have shaken them. "You hungry, Scout?" "Yeah. I haven't eaten breakfast. Did Cal make you something this morning?" "Nome. I already told her I was takin' you out."

"Where? There aren't many places we can go." "I asked Miss Maudie to make you a cake." The almondine cake.. I never asked for one before. Well, I usually wanted chocolate if she was to give me a cake. It didn't sound right. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you." I squeezed his hand tighter. "Where are we going?" "I heard there was a pond somewhere. I wanted to see it with you." Then, that's when I noticed something. He was bare, other than the clothes on his back and the set of nickels in his pocket. "Cal said you had a camera. You were gonna take a portrait of us, so she told me to wear my dress." "Oh. Yeah. I have it with Miss Rachel. I forgot about it. I'll take a portrait when we get back home. Sorry about 't." "No, no, you're fine. I was just wondering..."

We were more into the suburban part of downtown. The sidewalk was to end any second; after we walked further, it was replaced by dead, yellow grass. "I see 't now! The pond!" He pointed to the small fishing hole in the empty lot of a yard. It was surrounded by houses. One could not be built there itself because the pond was in the smack middle of it. There was a strategically, well placed gazebo at the end. "Wow..." It looked too scenic to be what it was in reality, a dumpy old lot on the edge of the "white border". "Its really pretty, Dill. When did they fix it?" "Recently. I walked past it as I was thinkin' of my pennies this morning. I thought it was a good idea to show it to ya'."

"It's wonderful." "You're tellin' me!" We walked together, still hand in hand to the gazebo. The sides of the bordering town buildings gave a brick boundary between us and the hustle and bustle of Maycomb. Dill then kissed my cheek. "I shoulda told you this earlier, but you like mighty beautiful today, Scout." "Thank you." Compared to other girls in town, like my cousin, I was anything but. In my Auntie's eyes, anyway. My still short, tomboyish hair and my boyish look made me stand out among the class of 1945. I looked like a clown in the picture we took; the camera caught me blinking. Atticus thought the photo was cute, however, he said I was the prettiest girl in it. He sat it on top of our mantle, next to Jem's picture from his senior year.

Every time a visitor would knock on our door, which was seldom, he would point to the picture, find me in my overalls and would say, "That's my Scout!" Because I was, and he was proud of me. I held Dill tighter than earlier under the shade. In the corner of my eye, I spotted ducks in the pond. They were floating on by causally, not taking in the scene in front of them. I looked up at Dill. "Did you see my senior picture?" "Yep. Atticus showed me the picture this morning. The camera caught you blinking." He chuckled. "It's still cute though." He ruffled my hair. "You're the sweetest girl in Maycomb County. Overalls or not." Due to his height, he was able to sit his head on top of my own.

"Yonder, some ducks." He says, noticing what I had earlier. What I did not see before was a set of baby ducks. I leaned on him more closely. "What would Atticus do right now?" He asked me. "I dunno... He would scold you. He doesn't want anyone touching me. You know how he is.. Losing Jem was too much for him." "You're right. And now, I'm gonna ask you what you'd do." "Me? For what?" "I saved up my pennies, remember?" "Yes, but what for?" "Remember what I said as a kid? About savin' my money?" "Not quite.. No." He broke off from me. "I told you I'd marry you when I had enough money.." I thought something was wrong at first; I thought he was going mad, but instead he bent down on his knee.

_"Jean Louise Finch, will you marry me?"_

I put my hands over my mouth, which was wide open. That was why Calpurnia made me wear my dress that day. That was why he had a long talk with Atticus that morning. That was why Jem wouldn't tell me about the money. Dill worked all summer in Maycomb and two years in Meridian, only for one purpose. To marry me.

_"Yes!"_

He stood up and let me jump into his arms. "I couldn't get you a proper ring.. But that's for the actual weddin' anyway, right?" I nodded my head swiftly in agreement. "You know I'm not into jewelry. I'll wait for that. And I don't like dresses either." "I don't care if you wear a dress, Scout. I only care that you're gonna be my wife. It'd be hilarious in ten years. Dill Junior would laugh his socks off to hear his momma got married in overalls." I blushed at the thought of me speaking to Dill Junior. Telling him about my wedding overalls and our adventures from our childhood.

"You're right. If Auntie lets me get past her in a pair of white overalls, I'll wear 'em." "Then don't invite your Aunt." "She's family. She has to come, Dill. And also.. Francis." "Forget about 'em. It ain't about them. It's about us." He looks at his old pocket watch. "If we wanna get Miss Maudie's cake, we better head out." He looked at the pond one last time, then at me. "I love you, Scout... I really do." I stared up back at him. "I love you too, Dill." Then, we kissed. It was definitely not as brief as our first kiss. It was maybe more like our fourth... After ten, I decided not to keep track of them anymore. I wanted to enjoy those moments instead.

Afterwards, we took the walk to Miss Maudie's house. One the way, Mr. Dolphus Raymond told us congratulations, and told Dill about the blessings of marriage. And the curses too. Obviously, he contradicted him. "Mr. Raymond, Scout's not a curse. I chose this for myself." Mr. Dolphus Raymond laughed and said, "She's got good morals, maybe not, son. I'll see ya' at the weddin'!" He then walked off, right about by Miss Maudie's house, with his bottle of Coca-Cola, which was still concealed under his brown bag.

The cake smell was still wafting through the air when we knocked on her door. Her response was immediate. "Congratulations, Mrs. Scout Harris!" She gave me a hug and rocked me back and forth for a few seconds. "I just finished frosting the cake for you, Dill. I made it wedding style for you." "Wedding style?" I asked her, being confused once more. "He wanted a almondine cake. Those are usually served at weddings. I didn't feel like makin' it elaborate. I'm savin' that for the big day." She made Jem's cake too. His wedding was small, it just included the families and Dill. We were lucky to have Harper be from Indiana, so the townspeople took no interest.

However, the news of my engagement reached the whole town before me. I was surprised someone didn't warn me ahead of time. Miss Maudie led us to her kitchen and was getting plates, forks, and knives. "Almondine was always your father's favorite. I baked it for him too when he was a kid." Maudie told me. She got her knife and cut a piece of the cake for me. "Ladies first!" She shouted as she put a piece of the cake of one of her porcelain plates. "Dill, let your fiancée judge the cake first. You don't get any just yet." Dill was disappointed, but kept his eyes on me. I took my first bite quickly for his sake.

"It's good, Miss Maudie. Your cake's always good." "Thank you, Scout." She gave Dill some cake too, and even indulged in a piece herself. "What are your plans.. For the future?" "I don't know. We want to have a son named Dill Junior. That's all I know for now." Dill replied before I had a chance to open my own mouth. Maudie laughed. "I hope so. This neighborhood's getting a bit old for me." "Really, Miss Maudie?" Dill questioned, while his mouth was full of almondine cake. "Oh, yes. Ever since Mrs. Roth moved here, chances of being vibrant again... Are low.  
>Ever since Jem left for the landing, it just isn't the same. And what about you, Scout? What do you want?" "I want to stay here with Atticus. Of course, Dill will live with us too. Cal's gonna still be with us too. I think it'll be marvelous." "Well... That's a simple request, isn't it?" "I think so. I know Dill would rather stay in Maycomb." "You're damn right." He stuffed his face with more cake. "I'll only do what makes ya' happy, Scout." Miss Maudie smiled at him. "I knew this was gonna happen. Even when you were just kids, I could smell the love in the air!"<p>

When she said this, I almost choked on the last bit of my cake. "Well, do you two want me to make your cake?" Once again, Dill spoke immediately. "Yes'm!" "Wonderful. Do you know where you're gonna get hitched yet?" Dill and I never discussed dates, yet. And if so, we had to wait a few months at least. "I'll talk to Mr. Finch about 't first. Then we can let ya' know." "And one more thing.. I want Scout to answer this one... What about your dress?" "My dress?" "I can't see you walk in' down the aisle in a dress, Jean Louise. It seems silly!" "It does, you're right. But Aunt Alexandra probably won't let me wear overalls down the aisle. And she's probably here in town to congratulate me. I'll see." "Jean Louise, don't let her get you down.. She just doesn't understand you."

She placed the rest of the cake in a cardboard box. "Now, you lovebirds have fun, you hear! I'll see you soon!" While Dill carried the box, I waved to her. "Goodbye, Miss Maudie!" "Bye, sweetheart!" Dill and I quietly walked across the street, taking slow steps. Our steps were beginning to slow down even more at the sight of Alexandra's car. "Just ignore her. Just be your cute little self for me." Dill took a deep breath. "I'll try." I knocked on the door on Dill's behalf, and my father answered the second the noise echoed through the house. He was trying to keep his composure, but was still like he was that morning. I still felt horrible about it, because now, he had to face my leaving for real.

"Congratulations, Scout... I'm happy for you." Even in his state, he still put on a genuine grin. "Thank you, Atticus." I smiled back at him, causing him to grin once again. "I'm always gonna be your Scout. Don't get yourself in a rut!" I gave him a bear hug. He laughed and hugged me back. "Cal! They're here! And they've got Maudie's cake!" He called Calpurnia, while I was still in his arms. He broke off the embrace and took the box of cake from Dill. "I'll take that for you, Mr. Harris." "Thank you. Mr. Finch." Atticus responded with a courteous nod. We followed him into the house to find a surprise, both pleasant and not.

Maudie said she would see us soon... But not that soon. She must've snuck in the back door while we were talking to Atticus. Jem and Harper we standing together next to her, along with Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra, and a extremely annoyed Francis. A few members of First Purchase, like Reverend Skyes, were also in the crowd. A homemade banner, presumably created by Jem said, "Congratulations Scout and Dill" above their heads. The right end was right behind my senior pictures, still making them a major showcase.

Everyone was dressed nice, even Calpurnia, who didn't even wear a fancy dress to Jem's wedding. Then I noticed that behind our banner was another, smaller one for Jem and Harper. They let us stand in shock for a minute, before any of them decided to speak again. Francis crossed his arms even more as Jem began to speak. "You see our sign up there?" "Yes. I do." I replied, "What's it for?" Both Jem and his wife smiled at the same time. _"We're having a baby, Scout!"_

Of course, only Atticus was shocked about this with Dill and I. To have the sign be made, and for the party to continue, the others had to know. Jem decided not to tell Atticus until he told me, mainly because he knew Dill proposing to me was bringing him down. And seeing his only daughter growing up did as well, and I didn't blame him one bit. "That's wonderful!" I gave my brother a hug. "I can't wait to see it! It's gonna be so exciting!" Dill looked at Jem after we separated. "And you should be just as excited for Dill Junior!" I playfully nudged him in the shoulder. "Not for a while, okay?" Harper smiled. "Dill, she's right. Wait until you're married."

Dill frowned. "Well, we've been talking a lot about him today." "About what?" Harper asked. "About how he's gonna see her weddin' pictures. Scout says she's walking down the isle in pants." Just the last word was enough for Alexandra to start complaining. "Mr. Harris, no Finch girl leaves this family wearing a pair of pants!" "If the men can do it, so can she." "Mr. Harris, you should only decide on what's best for her, you know." "I am. Letting her make the decision is the best thing for her, and I really don't care what she does. She's always gonna look nice." Alexandra only scoffed at him.

"Grandmother's right you know!" It was Francis, Francis was always ready to defend her. And at this point, nobody even listened to him. He was the most boring person I ever met. "Francis, let's not play these games anymore. We're adults." I wanted to end the conversation peacefully. "Please, for the sake of everyone here.. Be quiet." "I didn't even want this to happen in this first place. He's too rough for you, Jean Louise." Suddenly, I became a child again. I held my eighteen year old fist and put it in front of his face. In my head, I was seven again, and it was our all famed Christmas party at Finch's Landing. He just insulted my father, and I was not going to let him to go off scot free. "I've had it with you for my whole life. I'd just be easier if you let it go."

Dill grabbed my arm and slowly lowered it down. "Scout... Don't punch him. Francis, don't get her in a rut." Dill put a protective arm around me. "This isn't about you, Francis." Francis had his arms crossed. "Whatever, you heathen." He was so casual about his insult, he didn't even put any tone into it. Dill and I were only about to back off. "Scout Finch doesn't back off! Scout Finch never backs off!" The front door slammed, it was Miss Rachel. "Sorry I'm late!" I turned to face her, she was holding Dill's camera. It was a new Polaroid camera. I was still in awe that she had it. I was surprised she could afford it. Dill replied to her. "It's fine, Miss Rachel. I'm glad you're here!"

"Thank you, Dill. Remember you wanted a portrait?" "Yes, yes!" He held me tighter. "Tell me when you're ready." Miss Rachel nodded her head; she held the camera close to her face. "Scout, you look so cute in your dress!" The comment made me cringe, but I thanked her. They all knew I hated wearing dresses. Especially Alexandra. "Three, two-" Dill bent down and kissed my lips. "One!" I heard the flash of the camera and the sound of the paper falling on the floor. After the picture was taken, he kissed me again. When we zoned back into the party, everyone was crowded around the picture to watch it develop. Except for Francis.

Behind my back, I flipped the bird at him. I hoped he knew I was kidding. I didn't want to start another fight. Dill turned his head, noticing Francis all alone. "He just flipped ya' off." I started to laugh a little. "Good." He looked extremely miserable. He then went to the kitchen for something to eat. Hopefully not my almondine cake. But being Francis and all, I knew that's what he was going to do anyway.

I heard Maudie speaking, and then, so did the others. The picture was developed. Then, Miss Rachel finally, after a long viewing session within the party, gave the picture to us. "We think it turned out wonderful!" Without another word, she waited for reaction. The picture looked like something from the newspaper or a magazine. Like someone took it professionally. Miss Rachel not only bought the camera, but also colored film. The picture showed the banner in the background.

The background was slightly yellowed; you could see Francis's elbow in the corner. Then, there was both Dill and I. He was very gentle with me, he had one of his arms around my back. His other hand was on my face. My back was mostly facing the camera, and my blue dress and hair were all that was seen of me. It was a attractive picture, and I knew it was one of definitely show Dill Junior someday. "It's a nice picture." Dill told her. I agreed. "Maybe when you get married, you can make a scrapbook. And put all of your family memories there, you can start a new Harris tradition." I said that was a good idea, but that I was hungry. I'd only eaten Maudie's cake that day and wanted a real meal. Rachel responded by saying the meal was starting soon anyway. She just wanted to take a few more pictures first.

Reluctantly, Dill and I posed a few more times for her. She then had taken a picture of us with Atticus and "Jarper". Until that day, I never took more than one picture in my life. A lot of the party, mostly the congregation of First Purchase set the table and brought the food. The dining table extended out the door and out in the backyard. The Radley house was in view behind my seat, the dead tree and rickety fence were still the same as a decade before. We still saw Nathan Radley come in and out of the house occasionally, but never, ever, did I see Boo again. When I was younger, I dared to ask once. I got no answer from him; I never asked again.

I had a plate full of mashed potatoes, beef and noodles, a biscuit, green beans, and a two slices of cake. One almondine, the other chocolate. Both were made by Maudie, so I wondered how I didn't smell the chocolate in the air that morning. I sat in between Dill and Atticus. Next to Dill was Jem; next to Atticus was Calpurnia. Across from me were Maudie and Rachel. The topics of conversation swayed across the table. Reverend would say something, it would catch wind of me, and then it would end up coming out of the mouth of my Aunt, with of course, pure disagreement.

I ate the noodles and potatoes first, and then started to eat the green beans. Unlike the beans Cal made us before, they were soft and covered with butter. The concept was foreign to me, as I never buttered any of my vegetables. This new idea became well liked by Dill, so when the party was over, I decided I would ask for the recipe.

After the long, tiring dinner, we all sat at the front porch and talked. Dill and I sat on the swing and watched people go down the street. Normally, Maycomb wasn't very busy. That day, people passed our streets for something. None of us knew what was going on, sadly. It wasn't very exciting in our sleepy town. Tom Robinson was the closet we got to the word itself. Francis paced back on forth on the porch, wondering what his life amounted to. He would utter words like "graduation" and " alone". Maybe he was jealous of me the whole time, I thought. The idea brought a smile to my face, which quickly receded after he paced past us. "Heathens", he said.

The conversations on the porch dimmed down as the sun set, I shook hands and said goodbye to everyone. Dill and I thanked them for the food and the party they threw for us. Even Francis and Aunty. Cal cleaned up the kitchen, with help from Atticus and Dill. She told me to stay put in the living room. "Don't get that dress dirty, Jean Louise! I'm not takin' that thing to my place again!" I looked at the banners on the ceiling. Knowing Atticus, he wouldn't take it down for a while. At least not until I was married.

I heard them speaking; their voices were muffled behind the door. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Calpurnia came out of the kitchen. "Your daddy said he'd handle the rest." She sat next to me on the couch. "'And we need to talk anyway." "About what?" "About the weddin'. I wanna hear all about it, every word." "I haven't even been engaged for a day, Cal." "I know, I know. But what do you want to do? How many people'll be common' along?" I'm not sure. Dill and I discussed me wearing britches down the isle. He told me if I wasn't comfortable in a dress, I shouldn't have to wear one. And maybe just our families and you, Cal."'

Cal smiled. "I've always seen ya' doin' just that, Jean Louise. You've been wearin' more dresses lately... Just think about it." "The dress?" "Yup. Your father's got your mother's pearl necklace. He told me while we were cleaning that he'd love to see you wear it." "Really?" "Yes ma'am!" "Well, I'll consider it. Maudie's making our cake." "That's wonderful. I love her cakes. They're the best in Maycomb County." "She's such a nice lady, I'm not letting anyone else do it. There's no other way." I stared at the plaster ceiling, at the floor, and back at Calpurnia.

"So... What's going on tomorrow?" "I'm not quite sure yet, Jean Louise. We'll talk about it more in the mornin'." She ruffled my hair. "Atticus told me to go home.. So, I'll see you tomorrow!" We waved goodbye to each other and she walked out the door. Then, Atticus and Dill were done cleaning. But only after I had gotten ready for bed. I took off my dress, took a long bath, and put on my nightclothes. I went downstairs to get a nighttime snack when I saw Dill in the kitchen, also wearing his pajamas. "Hey, Scout!" He was sitting at the table. "You want some milk?" He had a glass of milk he was drinking. "Oh... Sure." He slid the milk across the table. I sipped the glass, finding the milk warm. I drank every last bit. "I'm sorry..." I gave him the empty glass.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I don't need any more milk. It's cold." He started washing his glass. "I'm staying here tonight. Do you mind?" I beamed. "No." I was happy he was staying with me. I felt nothing but butterflies anymore, around him or not. Just the slight reminders of Dill made me swoon. I wasn't ever very feminine, but those lovey-dovey emotions were very, very girly. Shockingly to me. My cousin Lily Brooke told me about that when I saw poster for politics in Meridian. We were walking past it during our way to school. I kept going on about how my boyfriend was from Meridian. At first, she complained about her singularity. Then, she spoke about that.

"The other day, you saw those wooden, ratty fishing poles and swooned in the same way. It's always, "Dill had one if those!" And, "Dill's from Meridian!" Sometimes... It gets really annoying." Lily laughed. "But yet again, if I had someone like Dill, I would be the exact same way." I remembered Lily had to drag me away from the sign, away from Meridian, and my Dill. Dill finished cleaning his glass. "Are you sleeping in Jem's room?" "I said I would. But... I'm going with you." He placed the glass in it's formal spot, and put one of his arms around my waist. "I love you too much." He squeezed my side tightly. He then kissed my cheek. "Now, we gotta get past Atticus." We stealthily walked up the stairs, in little tiptoes.  
>Every time we heard Atticus stir, we would stop. Once he got in a more sound sleep, we walked into the door of my bedroom. The first thing we did was look out the window. We saw a faint glimpse of the schoolyard and the Radley's pecan tree. Dill then pulled me closer to him. His arms were around my waist, and he was behind me. In response, I looked up at him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" My view was one I took pleasure in having. It was a proud spot of the neighborhood; a definition of Maycomb in its finest.<p>

"Yep. Not as beautiful as you." His comment caused me to giggle. "Sure, sure." "I mean it." He then kissed me again. It was a complete surprise, and it caused me to almost topple on the window. Each move became more and more passionate, each second went past like a flash, and also, yet, like a slow Alabama wind. Soon, my hands were in his light blonde hair. His were shifting across my back; he was unsure if he'd lose me. I knew he was a little territorial of me. Because I was his Scout. The emotions we felt for nine months were all being let out through this kiss. We waited too long to see each other, the pressure was just too much.

"What was that noise?" I heard Atticus. "Scout? Dill?" He ran downstairs, I heard his footsteps. His shout slowed down our kiss. As soon as he was started to come up the stairs, we broke it off. Atticus opened our door to see what looked like amidnight conversation. "Do you know where that noise came from?" He was adjusting his glasses. "I was just reading the newspaper when I heard.. A thud." "It's nothing, Atticus. We were just talking. I don't think anyone else is here. Cal went home a few hours ago." Atticus grinned for a short second. "I'm glad she likes the Chevrolet. It's coming in handy, huh?" "Yes, it is." "Well, I hope Dill goes to his room soon. I don't want anything too crazy going on tonight. Remember, I can hear everything. The walls are quite thin in this house." "I understand, Mr. Finch. I'll be heading out soon.

"Thank you, Dill. Goodnight to both of you." He tipped his glasses at me and ran off in the hall again. I held Dill again right away. "So... Are you really going to leave?" He whispered in my ear. "No." His answer was prolonged. It soothed me, obviously. I didn't want to leave him. I never wanted to leave his side again. After he left me the summer before, I was crushed. He was too, but there was no way to change it. But now, we were engaged. He wasn't going to ever leave again... Hopefully. We then sat down on the bed.

My room wasn't upgraded much since my childhood. The bed was slightly larger. The curtains were bleached and sewn back together after years of wear and tear. The seasons slightly changed the view outside my window. We didn't sit still for long. Dill tucked me into my bed, and then laid down beside me. He held me like he did earlier in front of the window. He had his head above mine. We relished the quiet. We took in our surroundings with our eyes closed. The smells, the sounds of the night, and the warmth of each other's bodies.

One last kiss on my the back of my head was the last thing I remembered Dill doing that night.

_Then, I drifted off, thinking of our life together._


	2. Chapter 2

_A quick author's note: I know exactly what I'm doing wrong.. With the dialogue errors and separating the paragraphs.. At this point, I don't really care anymore.. Whoops! _

_- Scout _

_The day after the proposal, I was awoken by the voice of my Aunt._ "Jean Louise Finch, it's time to wake up!" She had a spoon and a pan, which she was banging on to get me out of bed. Dill had woken up and left, but left a note on his pillow. The indent of his head was still there.

As I rose out of bed, I picked up the note and read it. My vision was still hazy with sleep.

_"Alexandra is taking you dress shopping. I won't be seeing you until evening. You're going to Birmingham... Try and enjoy yourself. Please._

_I love you, forever and always._

_XOXO, Your Dill."_

_He also drew a few hearts on the note, on the back, there was more writing._

_"Kiss me when you come back."_

I sat the note on my dresser, I fluffed my pillows, and got out of my bed. "I assume I'm wearing a dress today too..." Alexandra gave me a warm smile, and chuckled. "No, if you're trying on those other dresses, I don't see the point." My mouth was wide open. "Are you serious?" "Yes. Britches are becoming our thing too... Somehow." She grabbed my nicest blouse, and my most dressy pair of pants. "Just wear these. It'll be easier for you. However, I expect you to be married in a dress." What she was saying was too good to be true. She would let me wear pants to our shopping trip, but not at all to my wedding. The triumph followed by the failure made it disappointing.

"Come on, Jean Louise, the car's waiting outside!" I was slowly trudging across the room. "I brush my teeth first, then I comb my hair, then, finally, I get dressed." Aunty huffed. "What a strange routine!" I refused to talk back to her. I brushed my teeth and looked at the mirror. The medicine cabinet reflected a tired, lethargic teenage girl. But in reality, according to Dill and Atticus, I was a beautiful, glowing, woman. Afterwards, I tamed the short, spiky mane that was my hair. Once it fit normal form, I went back to my aunt. She was holding the pearl necklace.

"Your mother wore this on her wedding day..." Her eyes were watering. "She was so beautiful... And your father was so lucky to have her... She was a good friend of mine.." Never has Aunt Alexandra ever made a effort to be close to me. Or tell me about my mother. The necklace was a simple, blush pink pearl. "Can you wear it today also?" Then, she shocked me even more. She gave me a hug. "I can do that... Most certainly." Aunt Alexandra then put the necklace around my neck. "Get dressed... Meet me downstairs." She walked away and shut the door behind her.

I buttoned my blouse slowly, my fingers were becoming sweaty and slippery. I just kept thinking of my mother. I never really got to know her. It was making tears stream down my face. If Dill were here... He'd listen, he'd understand... I miss him so much... I slipped on my pants and shoes. Afterwards, I was greeted downstairs by Atticus, Calpurnia, and of course, my Aunt. "Good morning!" I told them, as my father stared at me in shock. "She let you wear slacks?" He knew his sister's judgement was more traditional. He took it by surprise. For him, there was no other way. "Yes.. I know, it sounds strange. It really does." I sat down next to Atticus and squeezed him tightly. I've said this many times, but I felt horrible for my father. I wanted to be happy, but I also wanted him to be happy too.

This was honestly one of the hardest times of his life. He wanted nothing more to have me stay forever. Alas, it was something he couldn't control. I desperately wanted to show him I cared. Because lately, it was all about Dill. He probably in a sense felt he was left out of my life.

"Thank you."

I had no clue what I was thanking him for; at the same time there was a lot of reasons to say that. He gave me the roof over my head, he read to me every night as a kid. (And occasionally still.) He gave me clothes to wear and a education; he gave me a sense of self. He loved me and cherished me, as I had for him.

"You're welcome, Scout."

He ruffled my hair. "Cal's got some breakfast for you, so I suggest you eat. Then, you need to go to Birmingham... Try and leave before the sun rises." I held him tighter, then broke away from him. "Thank you!" I jumped up from the couch and ate some pancakes in the kitchen with Cal. "Why didn't you tell me about this yesterday?" "I didn't know. When I found out, all I could see was disaster." I laughed. "You might be right. Really." Alexandra was tapping her feet; I heard it outside the door. It sounded like a ticking clock, in the ton of the phrase, "Hurry up!"

Before I left, I said goodbye to Atticus and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As he also did with me. On the way to Birmingham, the sun rose above our heads. We were silent the whole way there. Then, her car had no radio, nothing to keep us entertained in the slightest. It was boring for the most part. I only listened to the scratchy sound of her breathing and the sound of the wind gliding on the windows. That morning, from what I remember, was especially chilly. We stopped at a small dress boutique in downtown Birmingham; the dresses looked exactly what I didn't want to wear on my wedding.

For my Aunt, however, I decided to give it a chance. "I hope you find something today, Jean Louise." She was being her usual self again. The crack in her conformity from that morning had long left her. It was already mended. We walked in the store and the bell rang upon our arrival. "Who's paying for the dress?" I asked her.i honestly didn't want to pay for a dress, especially one I'd never wear again. "Dill and I are splitting the bill. He told me this morning he thought you looked adorable in that dress yesterday." There was a angry tone to her voice. She caught him sleeping next to me; I just knew it. I knew I was in deep trouble then. "What went on after I left last night?" "Nothing much." I looked at the modern styled dresses, which were silky and loose. Maybe, I thought, I liked one enough to try one on.

"Are you positively sure?" "Yes, Aunty." She leaned close to my ear and whispered, as if what I did the night before was a criminal offense. "He was asleep in your bed with you last night..." "It was nothing, Aunty. He was too tired to leave. We had a long day." I saw a dress that was covered in lace and silk; the neck was low, but not overly exposing. If one day in my life I had to positively wear a dress, it would be something nice and simple. Like that. So, I took that off the rack. "Nice choice, Jean Louise." She sounded kind again. "I'd like to pick something out for you also." I nodded my head in response. I knew she was going to find a vintage dress. A old dress, like the one my mother wore, presumably.

I met her in the back of the store with a few more dresses. She held a old, expensive dress from the twenties. Maybe ever earlier than that. Something just like my mother's, supposedly. "Can you try this first?" She handed it to me and took the other dresses from my hands. "Yes.." I trailed off, as I looked at the yellowed lace dress in my hands. I had a feeling that nobody wore it after their wedding day, if anyone even wore it at all. It was still in almost pristine condition; obviously, it was very expensive.

I went to a fitting room. Across from it were a few mirrors and a seat, where Aunt Alexandra waited patiently. I never, ever had to work with a dress like that before. I had a hard time buttoning the back and the sleeves. I went out with half of the back unbuttoned. Alexandra was already tearing up. "You look just like your mother.." I looked in the mirror. The dress was confining; the lace around my neck felt like a choker and the bottoms of the sleeves were clamped to my wrists. I was barely used to wearing my school dresses, which were quite a bit looser than that.

Aunty was looking at me, as if she was expecting me to feel nostalgia over thinking of my mother. I only remembered a few instances when I spoke to her. Small words. In my memory, she was looming and tall. If she was there with me then, I knew she wouldn't be. I was barely starting to read when she passed; I knew almost nothing of her. "I feel... Confined." I turned to see my buttons stop unevenly. "I don't think I can wear something like this." "Why not?" She had her legs crossed and her hands holding each other. Her eyes on me were striking like daggers.

"I... Don't feel comfortable. The necklace is enough. With this, you can't even see it. It's under the lace." "You didn't put on the dress right, Jean Louise." She buttoned the dress all the way for me, it only grew tighter with every move of her spindly fingers. She then moved the necklace to fit with the dress properly. "Do you feel any different now?" I looked back in the mirror. Instead of myself, I saw another woman. A young, vibrant woman in her mid-twenties. Her long, chestnut hair, similar to the color of my own, cascaded down her back. Her eyes looked more like my brother's, they shined and sparkled as I saw them.

I then realized I was seeing my mother.

"Yes.. But not in a good way." "Why?" "I resemble her too much." "How would you know that?" "I remember her now, I just saw her face. And the dress is too tight anyway." My aunt put her hands in her face. "You're right. You look so much like Louise... It's not even funny.. It's just... Strange. You have a little small bit of Atticus in you. Your eyes and your hair... Your voice and your laugh too.. But you're more like your mother. I didn't see that when I was younger. I really had no clue." She coughed and continued to speak. "You might have your father cry even more when he sees you, if you wear that dress. He's cried enough. He really has. Every night, long after you go to bed, he calls me. He thinks you're going to leave him forever."

She wiped her one last tear for the day. "He says that you lie when you say you're going to stay with him. He thinks you're going to pack up and leave like your brother. Every day, I tell him that I know better. I know you're going to stay with him. He has nobody else anymore. Not even me." I wondered when this became Atticus's problem. Of course, it was because I looked like my mother. I barely heard of my mother anymore. He never said much about her. He raised me almost entirely on his own, he never got married again. "Oh... Well... Can I change now?" "Yes you can. I need some time to myself. Those few minutes will be helpful."

I was able to get out of the dress, it was much easier than putting it on before. I grabbed another dress. Not my very first pick, but one that was still different. It was more like a dress I'd wear to school.

"This one's different.. I hope you're okay with that." "Anything that's not from the tens, I don't care." After I showed her the dress, we mutually decided it wasn't the one. Like the one before. I was lucky to only have that one dress left. Otherwise, I'd have to have my aunt look for more. I really decided that I'd rather not have her do that. But, the chances that I would be going back to Birmingham soon were unlikely. "Alright... Here's the one from earlier!" I heard her instantly jump. In a good, excited way.

I stepped out in the dress. The dress was a perfect fit. The Louise dress was slightly too small; the last one was slightly too big. I settled in my spot in front of the mirror before I got a good look at it. It highlighted everything I wanted to be, and nothing I didn't. My chest wasn't overly exaggerated. My hips, however, were literally right in the path of the satin. Shockingly, I liked that. The lace was aligned right on top of it. The straps were just the right length. Finally, right in the middle, were a few crystal embellishments. I kept looking at myself; I suddenly became ego-centric. I felt so comfortable and beautiful in the dress. Never once had I enjoyed being feminine this much.

"You look so beautiful... I mean it." My aunt was beaming; she was truly enjoying seeing me smile. It was true that I would rather play in the mud than with a tea set; it was true I would rather get my hands dirty than wear dainty gloves. But that didn't mean we couldn't love each other. That didn't mean that as a family, we couldn't be together. Being different was such a big barrier between us for years. Now, I noticed, we had a common ground. The barrier was broken, and we could finally say we were friends. "Thank you." I too, was grinning. "Can I say this is the one?" "Yes. You can."

We admired it for another few minutes before checking the price. Thankfully, it was affordable. We paid for the dress and then went back to Maycomb, where it would be hidden for a while... Somewhere in my house, where Dill didn't go poking around. We got home at around three in the afternoon. Alexandra concluded that she would take the dress to Finch's Landing with her. My prediction was incorrect. As much as I wanted Atticus to see it, I realized that I wanted him to be surprised, like Dill would be.

Walking in the door, my father was alone, reading the newspaper. Calpurnia was cooking. I could smell the food; she was making beans and grits. A simple meal for a simple group of people. "Atticus, I'm home!" He folded his newspaper and placed it on top of his lap. "Wonderful. Did you find anything?" I took a deep breath. We all assumed I wasn't going to wear a dress. "Yes, I did." He smiled. "Good, can I see it?" "Aunt Alexandra's taking it back to the landing. You can't see it until my wedding day." He then frowned. "Why not? Only the groom's supposed to wait." He seemed genuinely disappointed. "That's what Aunty told me. I can't do anything about it."

"That's a shame. Did it fit alright?" "Yes. She tried to get me a dress like my mother's." "You look too alike, it would make me cry." He confirmed my opinion from earlier. I was correct; even hours later, I felt fulfilled. "Is Dill around?" I asked him. "Not in here. Maybe he's at Miss Rachel's. He was shopping with Jem." "For a tux?" "Yes. I've got to get a new one too, don't you think?"

I observed my father and nodded my head. "If you don't want to, I don't see why you have to." "For you, I'll get one. I think I'll go tomorrow. I want one with elbow pads anyway. I've got to look my age at least a little." I smiled at him. "You don't need to! I think it's nice you look young. You don't look a day over fifty." "Thank you, Scout." He went back to read his newspaper. "Go find Dill and tell him you're home. I need to talk to him."

I questioned his thinking for a second. They just talked the day before. But, the wedding was a big deal... I had no reason to blame him.

"Alright. I can do that." Atticus only responded by nodding his head and moving his hand.

I took the short walk to Miss Rachel's house. I was being a bit formal by walking on the sidewalk instead. I knocked on her door. "Hello, Scout! Come in! I'll call Dill for you!" She ran up the stairs and called his name. "Dill! Scout's here for you!" Not much later, I heard his bare footsteps run down the stairs quickly. He didn't call my name, he held me in his arms and kissed my lips. Rachel went into the other room. I let myself melt into his kiss. It was nice to see him after a long day. Alexandra was beginning to stress me out, truly. When she cried over my first dress, I was trying to think of how to cheer her up. I regretted not speaking to her about it. It was a struggle, a struggle I never dealt with before.

We stopped kissing to speak. Dill was the first to say anything. "How was your day? Did you find a dress?" I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Yes, I did." "You did?" "Uh huh. Aunty took me shopping, and I found something I liked." "Oh no!" He laughed. "Dill Junior won't be able to see you in overalls!" "He will plenty of times, don't worry. I know you'll love it. Did you find anything?" "I think so. I just have to get a handkerchief to go with it. Your brother's tellin' me I have to. He says it makes the suit more... Formal."

"Will you let me see it?" "It's no big deal. If you want, we can look for one. I want it to represent us." Now, I was looking up at him. We were still holding each other. "You wanna go now, Mrs. Harris?" I blushed; it was a honor to be called by his last name. However, deep down, I knew I'd always be a Finch at heart. "Yes. Come on!" In result, he dragged me by the hand down the street. As we ran, we were laughing. Atticus sat on our porch, he moved to get more solace and quiet to read his newspaper. I noticed he looked up as we passed, but he never bothered to speak to us.

We passed Miss Maudie's house and the border of the suburbs and the town. He found the thrift store on the edge of town, by our pond and gazebo. He opened the door for me as we walked in. He walked up to the register. The man working was one who shockingly, we were unfamiliar with. "Hello sir, I have a question." Dill looked at the man with his bright, sparkling eyes. I envied the man at the register because he was seeing Dill's face. Lily Brooke would kick me in the shin if she knew I was thinking about this. "What's your question, Mr. Harris?" The man knew of us, however. "Well.. I need a handkerchief." "We've got plenty in the back, sir." "Thank you."

He pointed his finger to the man. "My beautiful fiancée is going to help me pick it out!" The man didn't respond, when I caught a glimpse of him, he was counting the dollars in the register. We saw rows upon rows of handkerchiefs on the back wall. More than plenty for every man in Maycomb. "Look for something that catches your eye. I'll look too." With his instruction, I proceeded to do just that. Most of them were black. Some were white, some were grey. One was green. I didn't see a vision of any of these on Dill. Then, I found the strangest, most obscure one.

It was a burgundy and blue striped background, with yellow Scottie dogs placed on top like polka dots. I put my hand on it to feel the fabric. At the same time, Dill also touched the handkerchief, and my hand. "I think we found it." He whispered, as he put his hand over mine. It was a quiet moment; a loving moment. "I agree." We separated out hands and he picked up the handkerchief. "It's only five cents! What a deal!" We walked back to the register and paid. "I 'open to hear about the weddin' soon." Says the man at the register. "You're the sweetest couple in Maycomb." Dill said thank you, for both the compliment and his help. We walked home in in complete, utter, giddy silence.

"Atticus wants to talk to you." I told Dill as we reached my front yard. "I'll be waiting in my room for you. I don't want to intrude." Dill put the handkerchief in his pocket and gave me a warm smile. "Okay, Scout. I hope he's quick." He pulled me into another kiss. I wondered if people thought we were too intimate, at that point, we kissed too many times. If Mrs. Dubose was around, if Mrs. Roth came out more often, there would be plenty of complaints to go 'round. I knew someone had to be annoyed by it, out there somewhere. I heard Atticus walk on the porch, it was our sign to separate. "Scout said you wanted to talk to me, Mr. Finch!"

"Yes, she was right." Atticus was smiling. Even in his eyes. For a while, that was a first. Come in, both of you." We walked into the house. "Calpurnia made some lunch for you, Scout. Eat it before it gets cold. I have to speak with Dill for a few minutes." I said not another word and scurried to the kitchen. The only times I ate in the dining room were the evening and social gatherings. Otherwise, I was in the kitchen with Cal. "It's about time you got here!" She sat a plate of beans and grits in front of me, which I remembered she made earlier.

"You better eat up! Your daddy's discussing the date with Dill. It's gonna be soon!" I was still eating as she was speaking. "What?" My words were muffled by my food. Lily Brooke told me I needed to have better etiquette. That day, I finally realized I needed to to work on it, that she was right. "They're discussing when y'all are gettin' married!" I remembered there was no official date yet. I stuffed my face with food, unsure whether or not to respond to Calpurnia.

"Great." For the rest of the night, I stayed in the kitchen with Cal. Dill and Atticus were in deep conversation.

I woke up with Dill asleep next to me the next morning. I couldn't exactly get out from the covers with his arms wrapped so tightly around me. I stared at the wall. It was a abnormally chilly day; either that or I was freezing. Despite being underneath so many blankets. "Dill?" I asked tiredly; I was almost sure he wouldn't answer. "Scout?" His response was quick as lightning. It was like he was waiting for me the entire time. The smiles we exchanged were silent greetings of, "Good morning!" "How was your talk with Atticus?" "Good."

"Have you made any decisions final?" "Yes. The weddin's next week. We've just got about everything done. We just need a church to have our ceremony at. And... To mail invitations." "On such a short notice?" "Well... He wants us to be happy. I told him if you had a choice, we'd be saying our vows tomorrow." "You're right..." I pecked his lips. "I think we can pull it off. Cal's sent out almost all of 'em already, I assume. Atticus gave her her materials and things after you went to bed last night." "That sounds wonderful." "It does, it really does. I hope Dill Junior's just around the corner.. I can just see him already!  
>"He's gonna have eyes just like you, Scout. He'll have my hair and my toothy smile. He's gonna be a tough little guy. He's gonna be a little joker; he's gonna be a momma's boy. Scout, I can't wait. Years are too long, we need our Dill Junior!" I laughed at his comment. I wouldn't name my son Dill Junior, but it had became a joke between us and everyone around us. Supposedly, our first child would be a boy named after his father.<p>

"I'd wait a year or two for him to come along. He sounds sweet though." I shut my eyes and let my head sit on my pillow again. "We haven't even gotten into college yet.. Dill, we can't discuss this yet." "Scout!" "I know.. I know.. But I don't know what I want to be yet.. I know you need money for law school." "I've saved my pennies. I've got just enough to start. Atticus can help you get into whatever career you choose." "You're right. I'll be the one at home anyway.. It could work." I had thought of many options; a teacher, a lawyer, a hospitality worker. I had no definite decision yet. But I didn't want to sit and do nothing with my life. Finches don't do that, I concluded. Finches never have.

"If you wanna work, you work too. Don't let tradition bring you down, Scout." He stroked the back of my head. "You're a independent woman, a woman with personality. I love that about you. The other girls just don't have what you do." I had my hand in the side of his chest, his skin felt warm. "Thank you..." I trailed off, letting myself become silent. I heard someone taking steps through the house, up the stairs, and in front of the door. It was Calpurnia. "Scout?" I responded by saying it was me. I knew she wouldn't care if Dill and I were together. She wasn't very traditional either, in those terms, anyway. She peeked through the door. "You're gettin' married at the church by the county border... I forget the name. But it'll be this day next week! Just lettin' you know, sweetheart." I smiled at the sound her comment. I knew what she was talking about. The church on the property and acres of Finch's Landing.

"Thank you, Cal." "You're welcome!" She could tell I was a little bit drowsy still, she didn't force me out of bed yet. Dill spent another hour coming in and out of sleep, just speaking and laughing. Finally, Dill had to leave me. He said he had to look for law schools. I was disappointed he couldn't stay, but I let him do his own thing. I was alone, just like I was in the days of my childhood when the boys would go by themselves. I felt a little depressed. I had waited all summer to see him, but he left me for bigger, brighter things.

I got dressed in my normal clothes. A plaid shirt, some overalls, and leather shoes. I had no desire to do anything or talk to anyone that day. I was mopey and tired. Despite that, I got the courage to go to Miss Maudie's house and knock on her door.

_What I saw on the short walk there was astounding. By the Radley's old pecan tree, there was a silhouette. Someone, probably Nathan, was picking the nuts and putting them into a basket. I decided not to go and see a image of the person. When the person noticed me watching, they rapidly scurried off. I was sure it was Nathan. Arthur hadn't come out since the accident years ago. It was very unlike Nathan, however, to pick the pecans._

Nathan let nobody else even touch the tree. Or even the fruitless tree in his yard, which was still sealed tight with cement. If he saw a child from the schoolyard pick a pecan from his tree, he would condition them in such a way that they would never come back again. The nuts from the hickory tree would sometimes land in our yard. Calpurnia made use of them in a pie, if she obtained enough to do so. Mostly, they remained untouched and rotted on the ground. People were too frightened to take a fruit of Nathan's bidding.

I tried not to think of this as I knocked on Maudie's door. My six year old self was emerging again. I wondered if that was really Nathan Radley at all, or if it was Boo. I was thinking myself into a childish rut, and almost forgot my reason of walking to Maudie's home. "Hello, Scout! Come in!" She took me by the hand and I took a seat in my usual spot in her kitchen. "How's Dill? Where is he?"

I sighed. The elation I had over the mysterious Radley picking pecans had now faded away. "He's left me to look for somewhere to go to school." I hated that he wasted his time in Maycomb to do that. "Well.. Is that why you're all tired now? You seemed so curious and giggly at the door. Like you were a kid again!" I laughed at her comment. She was a sweet, passionate woman. If she had a cause or a worry, she would belt her heart out to be heard. The happiness in her voice reflected the love she had for a topic as she did so. Everyone around her would smile too. She was like this about baking, and many other things.

"Yeah.. I miss him. I think he doesn't have to leave here to go to school, does he? Montgomery's good and all... But there's a school in Maycomb, isn't there?" "In the next county over, yes." She tapped her fingers in the table. Then she rapidly began getting out ingredients. "I know just the thing that'll get you goin' again! Just wait!" She started making cookie dough. It was seldom that she did make cookies, she was more of a cake person. It was always cakes. Angel, sponge, almondine, and upside down. That's what she preferred over anything else. "What were you so curious about?"

I told her of the Radley picking up nuts in the yard. She was interested as well, as I said the name, "Radley", she began to have doe eyes. "That's odd. The Radleys never pick up those hickory nuts. As much as we all want 'em, the Radleys don't let us pick 'em. I told Nathan once when he first came here that I'd make a pie for him with the pecans from his land. He declined the offer right away and told me the nuts were his and his only. He never even eats them himself. In all honesty, Jean Louise, it's oughta be Arthur."

What she had said piqued my interest even more. "You sure?" She was stirring the liquid and dry ingredients, not focusing on me anymore. She was humming a nursery rhyme as she did that. She then opened her bag of chocolate chips, which she said she was unable to come by during the war. "Yep. Nathan never picks those pecans. I have no idea what Arthur's intentions are, but I think it's him. Maybe he caught wind of the news of the wedding. He might want to help you and Dill out by giving you some pie." "What'd that do, Maudie?" "All of Maycomb thinks they're going to your wedding. If you think that's a good idea. That's a lotta mouths to feed. Maybe I won't be enough help. I don't know if Cal can do much either."

I sighed once more as she split the dough into little balls, she put those on a pan and put them in her oven. "I thought I'd never hear from Boo again. I thought he was dead!" "No, no. Remember when we all thought he was dead before? I swear, Jean Louise, he's immortal." The cookies were done after a few minutes of deep thought and peeking out the window; in reality, it felt like hours. Maudie and I shared our snack and spoke some more.

"What do you think of all of this?" I asked her. I realized I hadn't put much thought into the situation myself. I wasn't sure if it was me being engaged or what just happened with someone who was supposedly Boo Radley. Or my first actual encounter with Boo Radley. Of the thoughts I had about my mother. The whole spectrum of what had happened in my life up to that point was too complicated. I had no real desire to look back or go forward.  
>"Well... I think life just goes by too fast, sweetheart." She cleared her throat. "I know you're unsure if where you're going right now. I am too. I think that you need to follow your heart. You'll learn from there." Maudie's uncertainty made her sound different from herself, as if she had become a entirely new person. She took a bit of one of her cookies. "Tell me.. Where is your heart taking you?"<p>

"My heart is taking me to Dill. I just want to see him again, I've never loved someone so much." I put my head on her wooden counter. "I want him back!" "He'll come back, don't worry. Why are you so scared?" "I.. Think he's going to leave me for the bar, or a girl within it." I tried to block out all sensation. "Maybe.. God forbid, he's having a affair." I spoke out of my wise mind. It left me the second Dill left me that morning; they took the brisk path to who knows where together. I was all emotion; I was purely speaking from that only.

"No, no. Jean Louise! He loves you and only you. Sometimes, even you don't notice that. When you're speaking to someone else, like me, in front of him, the way he looks at you is..." She pondered for a minute and then continued. "What I was wanting to say was that when he looks at you, it looks like he's looking at a goddess." I was quiet, but the look on my face pressed her to answer a unspoken question. "Jean Louise, it's been like this since you were young. He would only leave you because of death." She looked at me for a few seconds. I was slightly encouraged by her response. "Do you want another cookie?" She put one in my hands before I could protest.

I was shaking, the cookie almost fell out of my hands. As I started to get a proper grip on it, there was a knock on the door. Maudie went to answer it. By that point in the day, it was raining. I heard sloshy, wet feet step in the door. "She was so worried about you!" I couldn't hear the other person's response. "Yes, yes. She's in the kitchen." I looked at the rain. The clouds were dark, which indicated a thunderstorm was heading our way. In Maycomb, that rarely ever happened during the summer. I tried to keep myself occupied in the kitchen, but I was a horrible cook. According to my father, just like my mother.

"Scout!" I looked up and saw Dill. I ran into his arms; he smelled like the rain. "How are you?" I decided not to speak yet. "I see you've missed me." I laughed. "I did, I did. I've been kind of down today." I dared not to tell him why. "Maudie told me about it.. Where did you come up with that nonsense?" "I have no clue anymore." "Well, I'm going to be with you for a long while, don't you worry." He sat next to me and took a cookie off the plate Maudie set out. He kept a arm around me the entire time. I asked him what he did that day, if he really wanted to find a college.

"Yes, I went all the way to Montgomery. I had no clue what I was doing up there all by myself. So, I left and decided to see you instead. Atticus told me he could just teach me, he has a degree, so it's legal." "Do you think we'll stay here?" "Yes. I don't plan to ever go back to Meridian. I sent a letter to my mother and told her I was staying in Maycomb for good. I haven't gotten a response yet. I sent it along with my invitation." "Well... Good." I felt kind of sad about him not being able to find a school. He wanted to go to Montgomery awfully bad to be a lawyer. It hurt me, it really did.

"Are you going to Montgomery again?" "No, not until we're married. And you'll be goin' with me. I can't just go alone... I want people to know you're mine." His voice changed tone, it was becoming more calm. Talking about me made him both at ease and hyper at the same time. Dill was always hyper, he was always eccentric. But that is what makes him who he is, and I love that about him. "Thank you. It really means a lot to me." Suddenly, the smell of another baked good filled the street and house. It broke through the rain and the cold from the outdoors.

"Is that pecan pie?" Dill sniffed the air. I took a whiff of the smell, and my younger self came back to me once again. "Boo's making pie! Maudie! Boo making pie!" Miss Maudie laughed. She was washing a few of her dishes. "You may be right, Jean Louise. I haven't heard anything from them in years, let alone smell something from their kitchen." Dill was confused. He didn't know what the buzz was about with Boo Radley.

"Well, Jean Louise was walking past their house on the way here. It's never a long walk. In the midst of it, about halfway, she saw one of the Radleys picking the hickory nuts in their yard, down yonder. She concluded it was Nathan until I did a bit of detective work. It's Mister Arthur, because Nathan never picks those pecans." Dill looked at her like she was crazy. There was no way, he thought, that Boo Radley would appear again. The first story that I told him about, he told me after I finished speaking, was a phony.

"I refuse to believe it." A crack of thunder caused the house to shake. "Boo Radley's called Boo for a reason, Miss Maudie. And it's not because he appears in public." "It was a pretty big distance from Scout. That's where most people walk. In the street, Dill. In the street!" He sighed.  
>"Dill, you don't believe her, do you?" He looked at me and then at her. "Boo hasn't really been a thing of ours since we were kids. I think that there's no way in hell that he's back."<p>

Maudie and I disagreed, but made no objection to what he had said. "You two should get home.. The storm's getting bad.. Atticus is probably worried sick!" She led us out the door. Dill put on his raincoat and boots, as it wasn't raining before my arrival, I had nothing to protect me from the elements. Dill pulled me close to him and wrapped his raincoat around me. He put a umbrella over our heads. "Thank you, Maudie. We'll come back to see your progress tomorrow."

"On the cake?" "Yes! I'll tell you what we'd like. Scout and Harper are going shopping tomorrow." "Again?" "For bridesmaid dresses, yes. And Scout's not even wearing one! There no point!" Maudie chuckled. "Well, there's a point to it. You'll see." Lightning struck nearby, followed by toe thunderbolts. "You need to go! Now!" I caught a glimpse of a shadow running away from our front porch. I told neither of them. I only said a frantic goodbye to Maudie.

_On our porch, we knocked the door and saw a strange sight at our feet. A piping hot pecan pie._ "Scout..." Dill uttered, pulling me even closer. "You might have been right.." Atticus answered the door before he could continue. Atticus saw the pie and asked, "You made some pie, Scout?" "No. It was..." I trailed off. "It was who?" "Boo Radley." I picked up the pie. "If he ever comes around, tell him thank you. We should eat it before it gets cold." I continued my out-of-this-world statement. Atticus and Dill both gave me a funny look. There was nothing more than that.

Calpurnia was excited to see us come in with a pecan pie, and served it to all of us and herself. The surprise meal was silent. Atticus knew better than to speak of my unworldly story of Boo Radley making the pie; Cal would get riled and ask me billions of questions. And besides, he thought it was absolutely ridiculous. It was a good pie, nonetheless. It was made as it was expertly crafted. The crust was extremely flaky. Assuming it was Boo who had made it, he had quite a bit of time and money on his hands. I had a feeling it was lard that made the crust so flaky, and molasses that made the filling taste so sweet.

Afterwards, Cal and I washed the dishes. "You made this pie, Scout?" I stared up at the ceiling. "We all know you're terrible at cooking. If you really did this, it's miracle sent from heaven. It's better than any pecan pie I've ever made." I let my hands soak in the soapy water; I did not answer. "Well?" No answer. "Scout, you're keeping a secret from me, aren't you?"

"Yes. It wasn't me who made that pie. Earlier today, I walked past the Radley place. I saw... Someone picking hickory nuts off the ground. I immediately thought it was Boo. When he faced me, he ran away. Later this evening, I noticed someone was coincidentally baking a pecan pie. By the time Dill and I had gotten home, it was sitting on the doorstep. Atticus saw it almost after we had. He thought it was me too."

"It oughta be Mister Arthur! You shouldn't doubt it, Jean Louise. I know better than to think otherwise. Nathan knows better than to let him out.. He must not've been home!" "Nathan doesn't want to let Boo out. Boo should be able to interact with us.. As friends." "You're right, sweetheart." I finished cleaning one last plate before I heard the door swing open. I was cleaning another from earlier when I felt two arms wrap around my waist. It was Dill. I was still cleaning as he held me; I looked out our small kitchen window; which gave a view of both the Radley house and a corner of Miss Rachel's place. "Nobody's out there anymore, Cal." It had become all quiet. There was no impression that someone had ever picked up the nuts; there were just as many as before on the ground.

After I had finished my half of the work, I dried my hands on both the cleaning cloth and my overalls. Then, I finally responded to Dill. "Hey." I kissed him lightly on the lips. "What have you been doing?" He gave me no instant response. He only pulled me closer. "I was thinking... About what happened with the Radleys." He was about to speak about something else, then, he was stopped abruptly. The look on his face spoke volumes as Cal glanced at him. He already figured out we were right, it was obviously not that he was thinking about. "You're one of the non believers, Mister Dill. Anything but that's been on your mind." She looked at me one last time. "And please... Whatever you do, keep those feelings of yours to yourself."

I was unsure of what she was referring to. Dill frowned and said, "It wasn't really about that. Anyway, we're gonna head. We'll see ya' later, Cal." She continued cleaning and nodded her head, "Yes." When we were away from her sight, he kissed me once again. It wasn't that he didn't like to show his affection for me in front of others, it was the consequences of doing so that scared him. He remembered the many times Atticus had witnessed those moments and knew to be careful. "I just want to get married now, Scout!" He shouted. "I can't wait any longer for this..."

There were plenty of things he wanted to happen in result of that. That was the prime of our lives; he wanted to have children, he wanted to go to law school, he wanted me to wear his diamond ring in front of all the people in Montgomery. "Well... We need to prepare first. It's not like we can just flat out do it now... People are expecting to see it themselves. Think of them." I thought of Atticus and the town. I really had no liking to them, but the people who didn't get a invitation would probably just sneak in and look through the windows.

"Okay.. I wish we could just pretend again. Like when we were kids." I laughed, "It's real now, Dill. We don't have to pretend anymore." "We're not married yet, I-" "You said you were my fiancé, not my husband." Dill sighed, remembering this. "You're right.." He then let out a laugh. "What was I thinking?" A strike of lightning interrupted the calm of our conversation. "Do you want to watch the storm?" He asked. I looked at the back porch. There was water going through the screen; the bench Atticus had out in there, however, was dry.

"Well.. Sure. I think it's going to be cold out there.. We might need some blankets." Dill abruptly left and came back with my blankets. "I like these ones the best... If you don't mind." I told him no, I didn't. We went out barefoot. The concrete was moist, and I was right, it was cold. We sat on the bench, huddled together and put my blanket around us. The wind howled, the rain patter, the lightning stuck. As Dill and I watched the clouds, I happened to catch a glance at the Radley house again.

Boo was back in the yard, picking up more nuts. In the middle of the severe storm. Maybe it was his chance to leave the house again. I was unsure whether to tell Dill about it or not. I almost called out to Boo to thank him for the pie. I was still enjoying the warm, full stomach it gave me. I wanted another few pieces of the pie... I just kept think about it instead of focusing on Dill and the storm.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Dill had interrupted my thoughts. "Yes..." I replied hastily; I snuggled up closer to him. The wind had only gotten colder since we went sky was getting darker; it was becoming more purple in color. He noticed something was off with me right away. "Scout? Are you okay?" He kissed the top on my head. "No... I saw Boo again." Dill looked over at the tree. "He just ran off. You said his name; he went running. Like I said earlier, it could be Nathan too." I looked up at him. "Are you sure, really?"

"It could very well be... I'm just not sure why he's picking up those nuts though." I continued watching the storm. I told him that I was confused about it too. I said we needed to forget about it. The wind kept on whistling. "Maybe you're right, Scout. We have to focus on our wedding. I know tomorrow, Harper's gonna ask a ton of questions to you. About dresses and stuff. And Lily Brooke said she might come with you." "Great. I don't want to have a tea party too, Dill. She's my friend-" "You mean cousin!" "My cousin. And I wasn't really sure who to bring along to the wedding. "I have Jem there for me. And my mom plus a pal from Meridian. I decided I thought you needed another friend too, so I told Cal to send Lily a invite too."

"Dill! You're nuts!" He chuckled and said, "I know, that's why you're with me right now. You find nuts like me attractive." "You're the cutest nut in the world, you know that?" "You reassure me about it, but you're the cute one." "Thank you." I smiled at him. The rain started to fall harder on the ground; hail was falling with it too. "Maybe we should go inside.. There could be a tornado coming." "Here? No!" Dill sighed. "Let's stay for a while longer. It's nice to be alone." I remembered Atticus was inside reading his newspaper. I was certain he would tell us to come inside after dark anyway. Maybe it was better of that way, I concluded.

I almost fell asleep out there, I felt at ease. I felt safe with Dill and the blankets surrounding me, despite the furious storm raging on behind the screen. I wanted to keep quiet, but brought up the topic of my shopping trip again. "What kind of questions will Harper be asking?" "What color of dresses you're getting'. Remember how she had blue colors for her wedding? She wants to know what color she has to wear." "Oh.." I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had no theme for it, I had not only no time, but no money to create the perfect atmosphere. Whatever it was. Due to the war. There was nothing to work with anyway.

I looked at the sky. "Navy blue. That's the color." "Well.. It matches my handkerchief. So I like it. You better tell themtomorrow, alright?" I nodded my head. The hail was becoming larger in size by the minute. They were getting to be as large as golf balls. They patterned next to the hickory nuts and in the tree bearing them. I thought it was probably confusing Boo, who I assumed was also watching. I readjusted my position, as I was becoming numb. "I hope it doesn't flood." "Don't worry about it, Scout." Dill as quick to tell me otherwise. I forgot then if I had expressed my worry before. He looked me in the eye. "It's getting late.." I stared at him, confused. It was his idea to to outside in the first place.

"I wanted to know if I can kiss you... Before Atticus fetches us." I giggled at him. "What a stupid question, Mr. Harris!" He was about to shout about his feelings, at that point, he felt insulted. I kissed him before he could respond to me. Behind us, the thunder struck, there were only two miles between us and the next bout of... Something. We had already seen hail and rain. Then, I decided that if it snowed, I wouldn't be surprised. However, it never happened.

After a while more in the cold, Atticus did come and fetch us. He made sure I wouldn't get a cold out there on the porch. He said I absolutely had to prepare for the wedding and make it my utmost priority. "Before all of this... I had no priority." He laughed and responded, "Scout, you still have teaching school to be concerned about, don't you?" I pondered upon that thought. "Maybe." I went to bed that night with Dill, I fell asleep almost instantly.

I knew the next morning would be early; I knew that I would be stuck listening to the stories of the school choir and the etiquette school in France. I had no way to release myself from this fate. I was stuck with my sister-in-law and my cousin. Harper never chastised me for being less ladylike. She knew I admired the women who had what it took to be feminine, because it was always hard work.

Lily Brooke, however, was a little bothered by it. Prior to high school, our first encounter was in my home when she came to a tea party my aunt was hosting. I had no clue of the fact that she was my cousin. My aunt yelled at me because of it, and because she yelled at me, I despised Lily for a long, long, time. When I became part of the larger, more mature community of Maycomb County High, I had a English class with Lily. My reading level, like in first grade, was still outstanding. The board declared me to be one of maybe twenty students to go into honors. Lily was one of them also. We bonded over Romeo and Juliet.

_Hence, we became friends._

Lily never got to know much of my boyish side until she came over to my house after school to study. I recall that I changed into my britches after class. She asked me why and thought it was funny. But since she seemed to be the apple of my aunt's eye, she took slight offense to it. When we wanted to do things together, we had conflicts. She wanted to bake. And I wanted to swim in the pond. We compromised most of the time. I learned to tolerate baking a upside down cake; she learned to tolerate the mud and dirt. It somehow worked in the end.

That morning, unlike the morning I went to buy my own dress, the sun was already out. Dill was still asleep next to me. The house was silent. I got out of bed and tried not wake Dill. I had to know what happened.

I crept down the stairs and looked at the clock. It was seven thirty. Had it been my aunt doing the work, we would have been well on our way to Montgomery or Birmingham by then. "Harper?" I noticed her trench coat was on the cost hanger, but nobody made a single sound. "Lily?" Someone flinched almost right after my call. A big thud came from the kitchen. "Oh.. Scout! I'm in the kitchen!" When I approached her, she was making breakfast. The metal spatula she was using fell on the floor when I called. My voice interrupted the silence and shocked her. "Have you seen Harper?"

"She's upstairs in the bathroom.." She was staring at my hair. From the time in the porch to that morning, it had become ratted and frazzled. "Did Dill do that?" "Do what?" I wondered. "When boys kiss you, they mess up your hair sometimes. But you know that more than I do." I remembered he did his hands in my hair maybe one time. "Possibly. But is Harper okay?" "She's got morning sickness. I hope she can get better before we leave. Check on her for me, will you?"

I walked up the stairs and checked on Harper, only to find a interesting sight.

_A smile._


	3. Chapter 3

_"Harper? Are you alright?"_ She looked pale, but still put on a small smile. "Yes. I'm alright." "You look horrible!" She glanced at me and gazed into my eyes; oblivious. "Well, that's what we have to go through, isn't it?" I wanted to stomp my foot and throw a fit. "Don't cause a scene, Scout. There's nothing you can do to help me. I took one of your father's aspirins when I got here. The baby just wants to fight with me.. He's not very nice at times. He likes to push me around, like your brother." "How do you know the baby's a boy?" "I told you, he acts like his father does." "If so, shouldn't he be loving?" "Well... Maybe you're right about it. Jem insists he's a boy. Just let him have his glory, in seven months, he might be wrong."

I sighed. Harper was being more like herself. But of course, looking less like it. I could see the bump on her stomach. "Does the baby kick yet?" She nodded her head no. "Alright. Do you want some breakfast?" She held her hand on the bottom of her stomach and nodded. I led her down the stairs, being careful to slow so she could follow me. Lily was doing well with her cooking, by then, she was cooking bacon.

"I was just about to call you down! I thought y'all died up there!" Lily had placed some plates with pancakes on the table "Come on, eat!" Harper and I sat down at the small table in the kitchen, where Jem, Dill, and I enjoyed many meals in our childhood. "Where are we going, Lily? I assumed you're the one in charge." "Oh! Yes! We're going to Montgomery." "Dill wanted to go... For law school. "Then, when you're done, wake him up! I mind if he goes, but this isn't about me much."

"Well... Dill has a best man and another guy with him. You can be a bridesmaid." Lily screamed, in a excited way. "Really?" "Of course!" I was stuffing breakfast in my face. "Don't eat so fast, Scout! You'll choke and die. You won't be able to get married if you die!" Lily shouted as I ate. "The temptation is all too much, isn't it?"

"Shush, Lily Brooke!" Harper laughed. "I was like this when I met Jem. I still am..." She had no trail of thought left. She put a hand over her stomach. Lily rolled her eyes. "You're implying something that I do not want to know about. Your activities with Jem are none of my business. Or Scout's." I dropped my fork and took a sip of my orange juice to wash down my pancakes. Lily put bacon on my plate first, then on Harper's.

"I wasn't implying anything?" "You put your hand on your bump! We all know how that got there." "Lily! Now you're being nosy! You're being irrational. I hadn't even known I did that until you told me!" I frowned and took my strip of bacon. I ate it quickly, drank the last of my orange juice. I gave both of them a big frown. "I'm going upstairs. I don't want to listen to you."

As I went up the stairs, Lily stood at the edge of the stoop. "We all know what you're doing too, Jean Louise... Harris!" I decided not to respond. Her actions were illogical. I had no time to deal with a angry Lily Brooke when I had to wake up Dill. I walked through the door of my room. He was still asleep. However, he was sprawled across my bed. He was taking up my side as well, as if my leaving had given him permission to do so. "Dilly!"

I waited for a few seconds before he started to move more. "Scout?" He started to grope around on my side of the bed. "Scout! Where are ya'?" "I'm awake! I wanted to tell you that you're going with us. We're going to Montgomery!" He pushed himself up against the headboard. "Are you serious?" "Yes!" He then ran to me as I had when he first arrived in Maycomb. He swung me around in his arms. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

He kissed my lips lightly on repeat before he spoke again. "I told you this yesterday, but can't we just get married now?" "No, no. We still have some time... It'll be soon. I promise. We have four days!" He pressed his forehead against mine. "Fine.. As Atticus told me, when your mother was around, he said, "Happy wife, happy life!" I chuckled. "Whatever you say, Dill." "No, I want you to be happy. You're my life, Scout." "Maybe you're being too drastic.." He kisses me before I could continue.

I thought the same of him, but my life prior to him was still my life. I had one before him, but I gained another when he came. It was like I had gained part of myself. First in a friend, and now, in a lover. "Hey! You two! We need to get ready!" It was Lily Brooke, who was still angry.

Dill and I parted ways. "I'm sorry.." "Sure you are." Lily laughed. "I don't understand what it's like to have a boy love me... I'd just leave you two alone, but we need to hustle up. Come on!" Dill and I raced to the bathroom. We both brushed our teeth in front of the mirror at the same time; we playfully shoved each other to get a view of our faces.

Afterwards, we parted ways once more. Dill got dressed and I brushed my hair. I then put on a nice pair of pants and a blouse, not like I had wedding dress shopping, but fancy. Lily made Dill a little bit of breakfast before we headed out the door. The smell of burnt butter filled the kitchen when Calpurnia came halfway through Dill's meal. Lily had forgotten to take the pan off the burner. Luckily, Cal said she would clean it.

"Jean Louise, I get paid to do this! Don't worry about me!"  
>The drive to Montgomery was just as much of a hassle as the morning was. Lily and Harper were in the front of the car, while I was in the back with Dill. Cal was kind enough to let us borrow her car, my father's old one, to get going. Dill and I fell asleep halfway through the drive, only a few bumps and swerves, due to Lily's bad driving, awoke us.<p>

We had stopped in the downtown district. "Harper, lead the way!" Lily shouted, as we all got onto the sidewalk. Harper was a little dizzy as she exited the vehicle. One had was on her stomach; the other was on her lips. "Harper!" Harper was coughing. "You could've gone slower.. Just a little bit." Lily frowned. "I will on the way back. Steady yourself and show us the way, you bought your dress here... Remember?"

Lily wasn't there for the occasion. I was. She wanted to bond with me, not yet knowing the extent of my tomboyishness. Nonetheless, I still had a good time with Harper. The suddenness of my trip with Alexandra grave me no time to invite her. I still felt guilty about it then, not having receiving her forgiveness. At that moment, however, I was more concerned about her health. Should she have just stayed behind, I thought. Would she have been better off at home?

Before I could rush to her aid, Harper stood up again. She walked a little slow and led up to a store two blocks away from our spot. Our eyes scanned shelves and shelves full of dresses, as far as my eyes could see. "Scout? What was the color?" Lily asked me, as she was in awe by the display in front of her. "Dark blue." I told her. Even I was taken a little aback by the amount of dresses they sold.

Lily repeated the words, "dark blue" to herself as skimmed through the racks. Finally, she found the right color. "Okay... Do you want us to wear short or long dresses?" She asked. My heart sank instantly. I hadn't thought about that detail yet. I was in deep, murky water. "I don't know." "Jean Louise Finch, you should've thought about it!" "Well.. You know me. I don't care much about dresses. Really." Lily frowned. Her curls cupped around her well framed face, labeling a image of pure disgust almost perfectly.

Harper was quiet up until that point. "We'll try both, Lily. It's not that hard. There's only two lengths for this color. I know she doesn't think about dresses, but that doesn't mean she's stupid. Or has bad taste." Harper was recalling my part in picking out her wedding dress... Well, actually, I did tell her to try it on. I thought it suited her. I wouldn't ever be caught wearing it myself. Dill agreed with her. And Lily scoffed at him. "She's going to be your wife, of course you said that!"

Dill whispered in my ear that he thought she was acting like a hypocrite. By all of his standards, precisely.

Then, we all went back to the dressing rooms, the two bridesmaids each with two picks of short and long, midnight blue dresses. "This is gonna take forever, I just know it." It was the first time both Dill and I were in the point of view of the spectator; the critique. He swiftly put his arm around me. "Lily's gonna say your pick will be awful. You'll feel bad and then start over. Because she's your friend." "Not like you're my friend, Dill. I'm going to be assertive. Just watch."

Harper came out first in the long dress. It was almost like a dress my mother would have worn, but obviously, it wasn't the right color. Her back was almost completely unbuttoned. Her stomach was extremely accentuated. "It's so itchy!" She shouted, before realizing she was I front of an audience.

She sheepishly blushed. "Do you like it?"' I knew right away that Harper felt uncomfortable. I denied the dress for the sake of that, and my mother. Her response was a smile. "Thank goodness! Maybe we can move on... Right?" "Yes, you do. Just one more dress and you're done. Is that okay?" "It's fine... Thank you." I was trying to help her,because she already had a hell of a day. I wasn't going to make it worse for her by making her put on more dresses. No sir!

Lily came out in the same long dress. "It's so beautiful! How can you say no to that?" I sighed. "Lily, I just did. Harper just wore it out here." Are you serious?" "Yes, Lily. Scout's serious. And that dress probably doesn't look good on anybody." She gawked at Dill. "But.. I'm sure my Scout would. But you know... I'm not trying to give you hard feelings." "You succeeded at that for sure, Charles!" Dill was almost as angry as a hornet by then.

"Nobody calls me Charles!" I put my arm in front of him to keep him still. "She's learned her lesson.. We can't end this in bad terms." Dill sat down again, with his arms crossed. Lily already turned to leave. She was just out of it. "I have had enough of him!" I could hear her from her dressing room. "I have just had it, you hear me!" "I hear you!" Harper replied to her.

Luckily, they had come out in different dresses the next time, Harper wore a tea length dress made out of satin; the belt was right above her bump. It was very simple, like how I liked my dresses, if I was to wear one, Lily Brooke wore a patterned lace dress. It was also tea length, but was right like the one she had before,

"Lily, I like your dress." I had made my decision after a few minutes of looking the dresses over. "But for my wedding, maybe it's a little too elegant." "Too elegant for a wedding? Scout, you've been raised in overalls! You don't know what you're talking about!" "I do. I really do. Do you think maybe you could go for something more like Harper's? That was my final option..." "I understand you well and clear, it's just that the whole county's coming to the wedding!" "No, no. Just a few. You'll be fine. It's just one day." Lily looked over at Harper. The dress fit her perfectly. That was when she realized that she didn't need the lace.

"Just this once, for you, Scout. But remember when I get married, you'll be wearing my dress."

I nodded my head and laughed. "I can't wait!" Dill also laughed at my joke. He knew the day that Lily would get married, I would be wearing the most girly, frilly, lacy dress she could get her hands on. There would be no exceptions, and we knew that. "Meet us at the front of the store, okay?" Lily told us. "I have to find another one of those dresses." She huffed, being disappointed I went against her choice. If was completely up to me, she wouldn't even be wearing pants. After some thought, that choice, I concluded, would have been too daring.

They paid for their dresses when we met them. "Charles, you better pay us back!" Lily told him, a she struggled with the dress on it's hanger. "I will, I promise. The money's at Miss Rachel's place." Harper was much more graceful when it came to carrying her dress. "Dill, don't sweat it. Jem's got a good job. You're fine" Dill took Lily's dress and carried it instead. We weren't going to move any faster with her lagging behind. "How's that going... Jem's job?"

"Oh! It's fantastic! Dr. Reynolds is letting him do more of the advanced tasks. He's making more progress everyday." "Maybe that's because the doctor wants to retire soon." Lily told her. "No, no. He loves his job. He's not letting Jem take over until he absolutely has to." We all packed our things in the car. The minutes went by slowly as we tried to figure out how to put the dresses in a safe spot. "Where are we going next?" Dill asked. Lily had her eyes on the way home, and she made sure to tell him that.

"But I want to see the courthouse!" With a grimace, Lily went in that direction instead. She stopped in front of the building. Unlike Maycomb's courthouse, the building in Montgomery shined. It was pristine; of excellent condition. The marble glistened in the sunlight. Dill didn't hesitate to drag me out the car. "Scout, look at it!" His voice was full of happiness and excitement. "It's gorgeous!"

Like my father, he was passionate about the law. Even after shadowing Atticus at multiple trials, he still wanted to be a lawyer. He ran, with me on his tail to touch the marble. "It's real! It's here!" He held my hands and spun me around._ We were doing a little tango; looking like pure, utter fools in front of the townspeople. However, I had no cares. Not even a quarter, if any of them, remembered anything about me. Then weren't going to go home to their families and bring up the topic that they saw Jean Louise Finch acting childlike and dancing in front of the courthouse._

"You know what, I'm going to be your father's apprentice." He whispered to me as we danced. "I didn't even need to come to school here, I've already got a teacher. Right in Maycomb county!" I laughed, as he spun me around again. "I'm so happy for you!" "No, you're happy for us!" For a second, he stopped mid-move. He looked into my eyes. "Do you realize it's really happening?"

I knew exactly what he was referring to. Multiple times, he said he wanted to marry me. But then, he came to the conclusion that it was finally happening. It was something he had come up with himself, but had waited for it so long, he couldn't even see that it was getting closer. And closer, and closer. "Yes. How haven't you noticed?" "I've been only thinking of the result. Not the path we have to take to get there." He held me close, and tried to embrace me.

The only reason that failed was because Lily got out of the car.

"Come on! Let's go home!" "Sorry, Lily." I walked with Dill back into our seats. She drove us home at a decreased speed. We were all quiet, except for Harper. She was singing.

_"Rain, rain go away... Come again some other day.."_

The thing that amused me about her song was that it wasn't even raining outside. Negativity was the rain. Lily was the cloud, Dill and I were the earth. She was in one if those moods. I could tell she regretted the whole thing. Just the shopping, and being a bridesmaid. She was out of it; done. I wanted to speak to her, but I could tell she wanted nothing to do with me. She stopped the car in front if my house after hours of silence.

"Lily... I'm sorry." I called to her, just before she was leaving. "I forgive you. I just need some rest." Her response was cold. It only gave me less reassurance. "Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked one lasted question. "Yes, you will." Then, she walked past the Radley house to get to the schoolyard, which was her path home by foot. The tree had no nuts surrounding it; they must've been picked again. "Scout!" Dill was calling my name. "Get out here!" I rushed over to the porch to find two soap dolls sitting on our porch. Right on the railing, in front of Atticus's rocking chair.  
>They were created to look like Dill and I. Dill's hair was almost craved exactly, and my dress looked like the blue one I wore on the day of my engagement.<p>

"Do you think what I'm thinking?" I asked, as he was staring at the dolls.

"Yes. I am." He exhaled. "Let's go inside. It's been a long day."

Dinner was almost entirely silent. The dolls sat awkwardly on the table as Cal served us roast beef and mashed potatoes. Atticus knew exactly who had made them, because the same artist had made models of Jem and I years before. He looked perplexed and almost a little annoyed with them. He thought my ideas were crazy and childish, but the whole time, it turned out, I was probably right.

"Scout, where did those soap dolls come from?" Atticus asked. "Well, Mr. Finch, I found them on the porch. On the railing by your rocking chair. When we came home, they were there." Dill answered for me. I honestly had no clue how they got there. "Alright... Well, they're well crafted. If you can find the other ones, we can all put them together on the mantle. This place needs something colorful." Atticus was becoming more depressed by the day, I could tell.

Every single day, my happiness and sadness were both heightened. I knew Atticus didn't want to give me away, and despite the fact that I wanted to be married, I certainly didn't want him to either. Dill ran upstairs right away to get the ones that were made for Jem and I. The adult version of me and the new portrait of Dill still stayed in the dining room. "Atticus, what's the matter?" I finally asked him the question. I couldn't handle seeing him that way anymore.

"Scout, I don't want you to leave. I know you're going to move out somewhere brighter and broader than this town. You're my child, my only one left..." He had no way of going on with his speech. My eyes were starting to water. "I told you before that Dill and I are staying here. You don't need to worry about one thing. I've never seen you so anxious in your life.. And it's almost over nothing." Atticus folded his hands together. "Thank you, Scout."' He said silently. He grabbed the dolls and signaled me to follow him.

He placed them right next to my senior picture. My horrible, blinking picture. "It looks brighter already." A smile had come on his face. It was one I hadn't seen for a few days. "You're right. It does." The fireplace mantle was becoming crowded with little trinkets. And pictures, and the banners, when were folded neatly on top. It was a image of our family, The Finches, over the past ten years. It was a glimpse into my childhood._ It was a glimpse into the life I didn't ever want to leave._


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for keeping you all (like maybe 4 people, but still) waiting so long for this chapter. I wasn't sure how to conclude it, so a epilogue is coming! And anything I write after this will be CORRECTLY FORMATTED! So.. Enjoy! I did the best I could, so I hope it's appreciated!

-Scout

_Other preparations were to be kept hidden._ Rings, the cake (yes, the cake), the decorations, and the confirmed invites. Shockingly, to me. I remembered sleeping the night before alone, without Dill with me. We were only following tradition, he told me. We had to go our separate ways that evening, with not even a kiss goodbye.

"Mrs. Harris! It's time to wake up!" It was the exuberant voice of Lily Brooke, she had stayed in Jem's old room for the night. She was banging a wooden spoon on one of Calpurnia's frying pans. I rubbed my tired eyes as she stepped in. "You missed Charles last night, didn't you?" "What?" I was able to open my eyes when I noticed the pillow I set up the night before. It was lying vertically to represent Dill.

"Oh..." I saw the pillow. "Yes. It was quiet.. He wasn't snoring." "You like hearing him snore?" She burst out laughing. "Cal made breakfast, come on! Get it while it's hot! We've got to get you dolled up." For a few minutes, I had forgotten why Dill was gone. "Why?" "Why? Scout, out of all people, you ask why? You're getting married today!" A smile came across my face. "We're gonna get you in that dress and we're going to make you the most beautiful bride in the state of Alabama!"

With her remaining hand, she dragged me down the stairway. "The bride has awoken!" Lily shouted, causing applause from the formal dining room. Maudie, Cal, Harper, and Alexandra were sitting at the table. "Come, sit!" She sat me at the large chair, where my father normally sat. A big platter of pancakes, hash browns, and bacon sat in front of me. A glass of orange juice was next to it all. All eyes were on me afterwards, anxiously waiting for me to eat the food. I slowly cut my pancakes into eighths.

When I finally ate, they ate too. "Were you waiting? I asked before I began drinking my orange juice. "We always wait for the bride, Mrs. Harris!" Calpurnia told me. "It's a Finch tradition!" I sighed, moving back to my pancakes. "I'm not going to be a Finch anymore, Cal. You just said so yourself." Alexandra interrupted that part of the conversation. "Once you become a Finch, you're always a Finch. Scout, I'm still a part of the family. And think of it this way, Atticus isn't losing his only daughter. He's gaining another son." Then, Alexandra concluded her speech for the rest of the meal.

She ate silently while Harper asked for seconds. She was still silent when Lily was suggesting hairstyles and makeup to me. Still silent even when Calpurnia cleared the table.

She was also still quiet when I was taken up to the bathroom to get my makeup done.

"Scout, I don't suggest washing your hair. It's better to keep it styled like that for today." Lily told me, as she brushed my short hair. "Your look is simple. I don't want to elaborate too much." Heeled footsteps climbed up the stairway. The door was closed, I had no clue to identify the owner of the steps. Harper got out the makeup palette, which was quite expensive. Lily had got it from her birthday from her mother, who went all the way to Florida to buy it. "What color's Scout's?" Harper asked.

"I think she's the second shade. She's a bit pale, but not pale enough to be a number one." "Maybe we should test it on her hand.." Lily pondered for a second. "You're right!" There were two brushes for each of my stylists. "And Scout, the dresses are beautiful. I'm so sorry about the other day!" Lily had left the topic astray during the days following the shopping trip. "Its fine. I forgive you, it's a minor thing to worry about now." Harper brushed the shade on my hand. "Lily, is that too light?" "Oh! Yes!" She brushed a third shade on my hand; Lily got water to wash off the second. "Now, that's much better! The fourth would be too dark." I smiled in reluctant agreement.

It was the first time I ever dared to wear makeup. And probably, it would be the last.

Lily patted water on my face before she applied the makeup. She and Harper waited until it dried halfway before applying the powder. They went in circular motions, precisely covering every corner of my face and neck. After a while, my face dried. "You look beautiful! Look!" Knowing Lily, I expected something complete contrary to her statement. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a few of my facial flaws covered. I was impressed.

"I do... Thank you." They both clapped. "And now, for the dress!" They lazily placed their equipment on the vanity. I followed them to my room, where my aunt sat on my bed. The dress was hung on my door, a pair of light, flat shoes were on Alexandra's lap. She also held a veil. "First, we have to get you in your dress. Then, we get to the fun stuff!" Lily took the dress, my dress, off the hanger. When she put it in my hands, none of them turned their backs. They wanted to see me put it on. Oh great...

It was exactly as it was the day I bought it. Light, soft, and silky. I decided not to peek in the mirror just yet. Alexandra placed the veil in my hair I put my shoes on my feet. "Look at you..." She stared into my mirror. "You look so grown up.. Like a bride." My aunt put a hanky under her eyes. I heard her whisper to herself, "Don't cry, Alexandra. Don't cry yet..." Lily smiled. "You look stunning!"

While I was watching my aunt, both Lily and Harper put on their dresses. "Scout.. I'm so happy for you." Harper told me. "Jem's proud of you... He told me this morning that he's glad you got to be married to such a nice guy..." I gave Harper a bear hug. "I'm sad to be leaving this family... I'm glad you're a Finch.. There's no better title for you. I can't think of anything else." I gave her a hug. The wife of the slightly crippled star quarterback of the class of 1941, the wife of the doctor's apprentice, and the wife of my brother hugged me back.

Afterwards, we, as a group of four walked to Cal's car. She was standing on the porch waiting for us.

The ride to the Landing's church was grueling. My hands were warm and sweaty. My heart was pounding. Lily and Harper looked out the windows. Alexandra say with Cal in the front, staring out as if she were driving the car. We went past her home in a quick, speedy turn. The church was already occupied from what I could see in the distance. Cars were parked along the sides of the he building. I shut my eyes to brace myself for the screeching halt.

When it came, Harper got out of the car and patted my hand. "Open your eyes, sister, we're here." Dill already walked down the aisle and was waiting at the end. Jem quickly retrieved his wife and went through the church doors. I watched Lily rush out and walk in by herself. Cal and Alexandra made quiet entrances through the back doors. Then, one of the doors opened all the way. I was the last to leave the car. It was parked right by those doors. Atticus rushed to opend the door.

"Are you ready?" He questioned me politely. "Yes." He sniffed to keep his tears from coming too soon. I held out my arm for him and he took it gracefully, as he had with his final speech in the Tom Robinson trial. We walked down through the door. Right after we took our final steps within the aisle, it shut. Dill covered his lips from across the aisle, Jem patted his shoulder. He had tears in his eyes. "Scout, turn around!" I did as told apprehensively.  
>Behind the door, standing next to the hinges was a man. His hair was almost pale as snow. His skin was almost as pale as hair. However, his right shoulder was red and burnt. His facial structure was broad and stood out like a sore thumb.<p>

"Hey, Boo."

Boo gave me a half smile, but no worded response. He walked towards Atticus and I as if walking on eggshells. When he stood next to me, Dill was borrowing Jem's hanky. I could hear him utter a few unrecognizable words as Jem counseled him.

Like he had asked me to take him home all those years ago, Boo asked me another question.  
><em>"Can I walk you down the aisle too?"<em>

Similar to my greeting with Atticus, I offered him my arm. He took it without hesitance. The three of us continued the walk down the aisle to Dill and the reverend. When I had to part ways with my father and Boo Radley, both of them grasped my hands tightly. Both of them walked in the same direction. "You can sit with me, Arthur. Right there." My father offered Boo his spot. Feeling secure, he did just that.

I stepped up the two steps to the altar, where Dill was waiting for me. "You look beautiful." His whispered. "Like a angel from heaven." He held both of my hands. The ceremony was about to begin.

Reverend Sykes began speaking right after he heard Dill. The sooner the better, was what I assumed he thought.

" Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Charles Baker Harris and Jean Louise Finch in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this - these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Not a single person objected. So, the reverend moved on. He picked up the rings from a pillow he set aside. While he did that, Dill lifted my veil. "You're my angel!" I blushed at his comment and made the crowd laugh. The reverend instructed us to give each other the rings while saying our vows. It was a very untraditional, non-religious ceremony. Similar to my brother's and my father's ceremonies from year's past.

"Jean Louise Finch, do you take Charles Baker Harris as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward?"

Without a second thought, I almost passionately shouted, "I do."

Dill glided the gold and diamond band on my finger and lightly tapped my hand after he was finished

"Charles Baker Harris, do you take Jean Louise Finch as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?" "I do!" He shouted, making sure the whole crowd, his family, my family, Maudie, Cal, Boo, and the few members from First Purchase who showed up, heard him loud and clear. I slid the simple gold band in his finger and did as he had.

"Without further ado, by the power invested in me by the state of Alabama, I pronounce you husband and wife!" A wide smile crept up Dill's face. "You may now kiss the bride!" He gave me a huge kiss in the lips; applause filled the room. When we pulled away from each other, he swept me off the ground and carried me down the aisle. Those particular moments are skewed in my memory. I remember being cheered for and waving at the guests. Almost like a queen or a goddess.

When we got in his mother's car to go to the reception, then I finally realized.

_I'm Dill's wife... Mrs. Harris. Jean Louise Harris._

I turned to him as the car sped off to the Landing. I was going to speak, but happy tears started to flow down my face. Knowing how I felt, he wiped the tears away. "I'm just as excited as you are." He pulled me into his arms. He brought a happier note, a higher note to tune. Bringing my shock to a complete halt. "I love you!" The sharp turn came upon us; I fell even closer to him. Then, he kissed me again.

It was short and sweet, the car screeched near the side of the Landing. Little did I know, it was Boo driving the car. He was not one to cause a scene. He didn't want to sob, he didn't want to cry. He just took the short ride to see what the decade had become. Dill and I helped him into the house, not needing to reintroduce ourselves. He sat down in the parlor on the red, velvet couch. "Do you need anything?" I asked. Dill and I sat next to him, knowing it would be a little while before the other guests were to arrive.

Boo was fidgeting. "I've never driven a car before." He told me. "I told your father to take his time... I hope I wasn't terrible. It's been years since I've even seen the sun." It was the most he had ever compiled into speech. Well, from what I've heard from him. He changed the subject rapidly, but contained a exquisite vocabulary and a firm tone.

I was proud of him, and I told him just that. He nodded his head, yes. I then asked him what prompted him to come to the wedding.

"Nathan is getting sick. I decided that I needed to become involved again..." He trailed off. "I... Missed you. I was lonely. I'm getting old... I need to interact.." After he spoke, he choked a little on his own saliva. I then realized how old Boo Radley really was. "It's nice you came." Dill told him. "We didn't expect you, but we're going to make you just as big of a part of it as everyone else." I knew that some, like my aunt, had looked upon him strangely. The goal was to make him feel welcome.

Maudie arrived shortly after we had, she was at the ceremony, but brought the cake in. There were fifty people at most, so the cake wasn't very large. Other food was already prepared and ready to be reheated in oven. After the cake was finally placed on the table, she walked into the room with us. "I just got out some appetizers if you want some, Arthur. It looks like you haven't eaten in days!"

He was quiet, but Maudie brought him some cheese and crackers anyway. He picked up a cracker and ate it silently. Maudie smiled. "It's nice you're back. It's been so long!" Boo nodded. He wasn't the type to speak. "I brought the cake.. The others should be coming soon." Boo picked up another cracker. Maudie brought him a small, singular plate. The rest were in the dining room, where they all sat primly in a row. The food she had made was not much, but she used a foreign technique to make it look bountiful, she told me about that later on.

For a while, a hour at least, we sat in solitude. Dill would give me a kiss on the cheek every once in a while, but it was completely quiet otherwise. Then, the door opened, and people all piled in at once. People started picking dishes and plates of the food off the table. Then, a few people started to come towards the couch. They were Lily and Dill's friend from Meridian. "Congrats!" The unfamiliar boy raised up a glass of cider. He sat himself comfortably next to Boo, who stared at him in shock. He wasn't expecting someone to sit so close, or so quickly next to him.

"Thank you, Marcus." Dill glanced at him, and then at Boo. "You're making Arthur a little uncomfortable. If you could move over, I think it'd be appreciated." Marcus swept his hair out of his face, took a sip of his cider and scooted to the left. "You feel better now, Arthur?" He nodded his head at Marcus. "Yes. Thank you."

Marcus smiled at Boo. "You're not much of a talker, are you?" He nodded his head no. I looked over at Marcus. "He's right... The last time I saw him was ten years ago." I was unsure if Boo was comfortable with me explaining the story. I told Marcus maybe it was for another day. In the middle of our conversation, Dill was glaring at Marcus. "She's mine, you know. Scout's my girl." Marcus was looking in my direction.

"I was looking at the blonde. Lily Brooke. I like her. Jean Louise Finch is all yours, bud!" Dill laughed. "She's Jean Louise Harris now. Harris!" He put emphasis on my newly gained name. He turned to me and kissed my lips lightly. Almost to prove a point to Marcus. He kept eyeing Lily. Suddenly, Maudie walked into the room. She clanked a spoon on a empty glass to bring attention to her.

"Everyone!" Her voice boomed across the house, which normally, was very quiet and calm. "Come outside! We'll start the dances out in the yard!" Marcus was raising his hand as if to ask a question, Maudie pointed at him. "What's your question, young man?" "When do we eat the cake?" People were crowding to the backyard door. The door in front of the stoop where I had that terrible conversation with Francis all of those years ago.

_"Pass the damn ham, please."_

"We will be eating cake afterwards." She frowned. Looking upon the boy in slight displeasure. Marcus looked disappointed. Of course, Marcus wanted cake. However, he had to wait a long while. "I only came for the cake, Dill!" He whispered. Dill took my hand and walked away with me, but not before responding.

"I don't believe that for a second. You care about me. I know that." He then took his free hand and put it on my face. "What do you think about that, Scout?" Without a second of doubt, I told him what I thought. "He cares. He does. He carries his heart of his sleeve. I see it." Dill kissed me quickly one more time, just like he had in the days of our childhood. As if Jem was looking on.

"You're right. To me, you're always right."

He walked me out to the yard, which had a much different atmosphere than it was a decade before. Boo was already standing next to Maudie, who kept a firm eye on him. Everyone was in their usual spots, except my father. He stood in the center of the circle like a sore thumb. The piano was dragged all the way out the door and down the steps. Harper was playing basic notes, waiting for me to arrive. Dill branched off next to my brother.

Then, when I went up to my father, the song was changed into a crescendo, a familiar melody that I heard her play quite often after she got married.

We both held each other closely. Neither of us were good at dancing, so, we swayed instead. "How long has it been?" He whispered. He was referring the ceremony. "A few hours." I replied. "I miss you already." He told me. "And I will every day for the rest of my life." I was about to sob, just as he was. "Atticus, I never left you. I'm here. I'm right here. Don't cry."'

The song ended at a halt. Well, not to the people surrounding us. I separated from Atticus, but gave him one last hug. "We'll be home in a few days. And hopefully, for a while." I patted his back and tried to imitate my senior photograph. He started to laugh.

_That's my Scout!_

Then, my father and Dill swapped places. Harper started playing a even faster crescendo. Dill and I never formally planned our dance. (I hadn't with my father either.) "Scout, this is gonna be a fast one. You'll be alright in your dress, I hope?" I looked down. It was barely touching the grass, which was cut abnormally short. "Yes." Then, he took my hands and we spun around. It was almost like our courthouse tango.

Our eyes never let sight of each other go. It was just the two of us, it seemed. Once again, the focus on other people faded. We were in our own small world. I spoke of this to both my brother and father, who told me this: "That is why I miss her so much. It was just us, and it was a wonderful feeling."

However, he also said this: "She brought me you, and I could never be more thankful for anything else."

After the music stopped, Dill and I came even closer to each other. "I told you enough.. But I love you." I laughed. "You know I love you too." He kisses me again, proving his point to Marcus once more.

"Now, can we have cake?" Speaking of him, Marcus asked his question a second time. Maudie stared him down. "Yes. We can. Everyone, go inside single file! What happened before was chaotic." Maudie was the manager of the reception. I knew she would keep everything in order.

Everyone went in the door after us, single file. They all filled the room, surrounding the table and the wedding cake.  
>All of the people looked at us eagerly. Especially poor Marcus, who had waited long enough for his cake. Jem was talking to him, trying to calm him down.<p>

"I didn't know Dill had adult friends!" He joked. I listened at Dill picked up the knife. "Well, Marcus, I'm here. And you don't have much time to ask me any more questions, he's cutting the cake for you." Marcus looked straight into my eyes.

He was waiting. I knew that he couldn't for much longer. I put my hand over Dill's and helped him cut the cake. Marcus was cheering the loudest. Afterwards, he put the piece of cake on a plate. I picked up a set of forks and handed him one. At the same time, we ate the cake.

Marcus cheered louder. Jem playfully shoved his shoulder and laughed. "Kid, you're getting your food soon." Dill and I laughed. "Scout, you've got a little frosting on your face!" He wiped his thumb across my lips, and ate the frosting himself. A few of the guests, including my aunt, gasped. It was unheard of to do such a thing. She would have said, "Wipe it off with a napkin!"

Marcus got the first piece of cake after Dill and I ate our fair share. There was only enough for one piece per person at the party. Dill and I decided to talk about our future on the stoop. "Have you debated what you want to do?" Dill asked me. "I'm set on being a lawyer, but what about you?" I sighed. "Maybe a teacher's it the right choice. I'm not good with the little ones." "Nonsense! You're going to be a great mother to Dill Junior!" He put a hand over my stomach as if I was already expecting a child.

"I mean children I don't already know... Do you think I could go into law instead? Is that a awful idea?" Dill laughed, but not as a joke. He laughed a happy laugh. "Well of course! There's nothing a man can do that a woman can't. You're tomboy, you know that more than anyone! I'll arrange something with Grandpa Atticus, alright?" "Dill, if you want a baby, wait a little. I don't want one now!"

"DJ better come soon! He's going to be wonderful, Scout. Just like you and me in the right ways. He'll have your charm for sure!" I gave him a replica of his laugh. "Sure, sure. I'll think about it for a little bit. You'll get your answer soon." "Tonight?" I grimaced. "Well... Possibly."  
>Maudie clanked her cup again; the sun was about to set, the party was coming to a end.<p>

"Now, it is time to end our celebration to the union of our great friends, Mister and missus Charles Baker Harris! To conclude it, they will drive off to their "honeymoon" destination in their good, old fashioned getaway car!" In front of the house pulled up a old Ford, older than my father's by a landslide. "Get in, you lovebirds! Have a wonderful trip!"

Jem whispered something into Dill's ear quickly before we were to run out the door. His eyes widened. Either in fear or disgust. "Are you sure? That... Doesn't sound very..." Jem's response was inaudible to me. "Scout! Come on! Let's go! What do we have to lose!"

Marcus made one last remark. One that was quite inappropriate. "Your virginity!"

Angry stares went toward the friend from Meridian. And that was when Dill and I made a run for the car.

Dill and I drove down past the countryside and out of the county, into a beautiful, less secluded town westward. It had a beautiful forest near a bed and breakfast waiting for us. My heart raced more and more as we asked for a set of keys and a room. When we got to the door, Dill asked me the question he had earlier. And I actually thought nothing of it.

"What about Dill Junior?" I hesitated a little bit before answering. "Yes. Of course!" It was something I hadn't desired until I entered the bedroom and realized what kind of future we had together. _It was something Atticus wanted us to so dearly have as adults. It was the crazy, sudden, eclectic dream of a Finch_


	5. Epilogue

I decided that maybe I'll write more about the children I introduced this chapter.. Does that sound good? (Hopefully, yes. I might start work on it tonight).. I hope you enjoyed this story and maybe whatever may follow.  
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Fly on, - Scout

_A year later, almost on the dot, I gave birth to a daughter I named Maudie Louise Harris._ She was more like me in appearance right from the beginning, and after two years, she turned out to be more like her father with personality. She bounced around the house and played with her cousin, George, almost every single afternoon.

Two and a half years after the birth of our little Maudie, Dill's wish was finally granted. I had another child, a son, who became Dill Junior. The perfect image of the fantasy we had beforehand.

We couldn't have children for another five years. I was worried, because I decided I wanted another. I consulted my own brother, who was slowly taking the position of Dr. Reynolds, to figure out my problem. He told me it was nothing. That we had to keep on trying. Maybe, he said, we would get there.

When Maudie was six years old, I finally had my last child. Another son. Arthur Radley Harris. Everyone as shocked to hear we named our son completely after Boo, however, it was something that we absolutely had to do. He was playing the role of Arthur the second he was born. He was our little Boo.

Our Arthur became quite close to his grandfather. They read together and had the bond I shared with him myself as a child. He was introverted, but he is the smartest of the three children. A very quiet, humble, and kind soul. Just like his namesake.

Remember in my memoir when I said I never saw Boo Radley again?

Well, I didn't see_ that_ Boo Radley again.

_The Boo Radley who walked me down the aisle was a different Boo Radley than the one who saved my life years before._

_Boo had grown into a new person. With the death of his brother, he grew into a person he never thought he would be._

_He was much more active within the community after my wedding. He helped care for my children, he gave them gifts in the oak tree in his yard and rebuilt the treehouse for them._

_He was the same person, but yet, he became someone else._

_What I think happened was that he finally believed in himself._


End file.
